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Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a disputed work legislation that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials stated the law will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted law, annual overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek continues as before.

The government emphasizes that the extended shift is voluntary, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left party – currently the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that halted public transport and public services to a stop.

Government Defense and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, claiming the reforms align national laws with current employment conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

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

The measure follows European Union working-time rules, which cap the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting overtime but permit adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Responses

However, critics have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers already work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Background

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

Recent laws, which started at the start of July, permit employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Labor Data and Greek Economic Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but wages and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.