🔗 Share this article

Government Building

Greece's legislature has given the green light a disputed labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of strong resistance and countrywide protests.

The administration stated the law will revamp Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour week remains in place.

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

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left party – now the main opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that halted public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the reforms align national laws with modern employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will give workers the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for increased pay, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This follows EU working-time regulations, which limit the mean week to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

However, critics have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They say Greek employees currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Context

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New laws, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Statistics and National Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in the previous year, the longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the European Union.