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Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a contentious labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, despite widespread resistance and nationwide protests.

Government officials stated the law will update Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party described it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week remains in place.

The government maintains that the extended workday is optional, solely applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate party – currently the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that halted public transport and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the bill, saying the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with modern employment conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will give workers the choice to accept additional hours with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for declining extra hours.

The measure complies with European Union labor regulations, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

But, critics have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local employees already put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Background

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day working week for specific sectors in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

New laws, which started at the start of July, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Work Data and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.