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Government Building

The Greek parliament has given the green light a disputed labor reform that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, despite strong resistance and countrywide protests.

The administration stated the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the New Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

The government insists that the extended shift is optional, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left party – currently the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the bill, saying the reforms align Greek laws with modern labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide employees the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure complies with EU working-time rules, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but permit flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Responses

However, opposition parties have accused the government of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers currently put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Reforms and Financial Context

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to boost the economy.

Recent laws, which started at the beginning of July, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Labor Statistics and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the EU.