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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious work legislation that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, in the face of strong opposition and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials stated the law will update the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek remains in place.

Officials emphasizes that the extended workday is elective, only applies to the private sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

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

Labor unions have staged two general strikes demanding the law's repeal this month that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with current labor-market realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

The laws will provide workers the choice to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for declining overtime.

The measure complies with European Union labor regulations, which limit the mean week to 48 hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue local employees currently put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

In 2024, the country enacted a six-day working week for specific industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

New legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, Greece's official minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.