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Government Building

The Greek parliament has given the green light a hotly debated labor reform that enables 13-hour working days, in the face of strong resistance and countrywide protests.

The administration claimed the measure will modernize Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

Officials insists that the extended shift is elective, solely affects the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate faction – now the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the bill, saying the changes align Greek legislation with modern employment realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give employees the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for increased compensation, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

This complies with EU working-time rules, which cap the average workweek to 48 hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Changes and Financial Context

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

Recent laws, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• As of this year, the nation's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.