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Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a disputed labor reform that enables 13-hour working days, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration asserted the measure will modernize the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party described it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the New Labor Law

Under the freshly approved law, annual overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

The government emphasizes that the extended shift is voluntary, only affects the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

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

Government Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the bill, stating the changes align Greek laws with current employment realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

The laws will provide workers the option to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for refusing extra hours.

This follows European Union working-time regulations, which limit the mean week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Responses

But, critics have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek employees already put in more time than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

Recent laws, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Work Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of 5.9%, data from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.