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Government Building

Greece's parliament has ratified a hotly debated work legislation that permits 13-hour working days, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration stated the measure will revamp the country's labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted law, annual overtime is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

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

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left faction – now the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive group abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal recently that halted transportation and public services to a stop.

Official Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, stating the reforms align national legislation with current labor-market realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will provide employees the option to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

This follows EU labor rules, which limit the mean week to 48 hours including extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Economic Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day working week for specific sectors in a bid to boost economic growth.

New laws, which started at the beginning of the summer, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

EU Work Data and Greek Economic Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's official base pay stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer versus an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.