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Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a disputed labor reform that permits 13-hour working days, despite strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

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

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour week remains in place.

The government emphasizes that the longer workday is voluntary, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left party – now the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

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

Official Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, claiming the reforms align Greek laws with modern labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

The laws will give employees the choice to accept extra work with the same employer for increased pay, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining overtime.

This complies with European Union labor regulations, which cap the average week to forty-eight hours counting overtime but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Responses

But, critics have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local workers already work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Background

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

Recent laws, which started at the start of the summer, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.