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Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a hotly debated work legislation that permits 13-hour work shifts, despite strong opposition and countrywide protests.

Government officials claimed the measure will update Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week continues as before.

The government emphasizes that the extended shift is elective, solely affects the private sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

The recent ballot was backed by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate party – currently the main resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes demanding the law's repeal recently that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the bill, claiming the changes align national legislation with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

These regulations will provide employees the choice to accept extra work with the same employer for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for declining extra hours.

This complies with European Union labor regulations, which cap the average week to 48 hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, critics have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local employees currently work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Economic Context

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of July, permit employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Work Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's official base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from Eurostat show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.