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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious work legislation that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, in the face of strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration asserted the law will revamp the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted law, annual extra hours is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

Officials insists that the extended shift is elective, solely applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – currently the main opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing party abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

A senior official defended the bill, stating the changes bring in line national laws with current labor-market conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

The laws will provide employees the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with European Union working-time regulations, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening workers' rights and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say local workers already work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Context

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

New laws, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit workers to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, the nation's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the EU.