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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a contentious labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration stated the law will update Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual overtime is also at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is optional, solely applies to the business sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was supported by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate faction – currently the main opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, claiming the changes align national laws with modern employment conditions, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

The laws will provide workers the choice to accept extra work with the same employer for increased pay, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing extra hours.

This follows European Union working-time regulations, which cap the average week to 48 hours including overtime but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, critics have charged the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local workers already put in more time than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a bid to boost economic growth.

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, allow employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

European Work Data and National Financial Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's official base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but wages and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the EU.