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Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a disputed labor reform that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, despite fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

Government officials stated the law will update Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the New Labor Law

According to the freshly approved law, yearly extra hours is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour week remains in place.

The government maintains that the longer shift is elective, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days annually.

Political Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left party – now the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes demanding the law's repeal recently that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the bill, claiming the changes bring in line Greek laws with modern labor-market conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

The laws will give workers the option to take on additional hours with the current company for increased compensation, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for declining overtime.

This complies with European Union working-time regulations, which limit the mean workweek to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Responses

But, critics have charged the government of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers already work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Economic Context

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

New legislation, which started at the beginning of July, permit employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Labor Data and National Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's official base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.