The Greek Parliament Approves Disputed Labor Law Allowing Longer Workdays in Certain Circumstances

Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a hotly debated labor reform that enables 13-hour work shifts, despite fierce resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration claimed the measure will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted law, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

The government maintains that the longer workday is optional, only affects the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Resistance

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left party – currently the primary resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive party abstained.

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

Official Justification and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the reforms align national laws with modern labor-market conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide workers the option to accept additional hours with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure follows European Union working-time regulations, which cap the average workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, critics have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say Greek employees already work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

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

European Labor Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but wages and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.