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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a disputed labor reform that enables 13-hour working days, despite widespread opposition and nationwide strike actions.

The administration asserted the measure will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the extended shift is voluntary, only applies to the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate party – now the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that halted public transport and services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, saying the changes align national laws with current employment realities, and accused critics of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will provide employees the option to take on extra work with the current company for increased compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure follows EU working-time rules, which cap the mean week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but allow flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Reactions

However, critics have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers already work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Economic Context

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

Recent laws, which started at the start of the summer, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's official minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.