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Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a contentious labor reform that permits 13-hour working days, despite strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the measure will modernize the country's labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing party described it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials insists that the extended shift is voluntary, only affects the private sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – now the main resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought public transport and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, saying the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

The laws will provide workers the option to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

The measure follows EU working-time rules, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

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

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

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Background

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

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

EU Labor Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Across the European Union in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's national base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.