🔗 Share this article

Government Building

Greece's parliament has ratified a disputed labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, despite strong opposition and countrywide protests.

The administration claimed the law will revamp Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

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

The government insists that the longer workday is voluntary, only affects the private sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – now the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that brought public transport and public services to a stop.

Government Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, stating the reforms align Greek laws with modern labor-market conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

These regulations will provide employees the option to take on additional hours with the current company for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

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

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

However, critics have charged the government of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They say local workers already put in more time than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a bid to stimulate the economy.

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, permit employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and National Economic Indicators

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's official minimum wage was €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 8.1% in August versus an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.