🔗 Share this article The Greek Parliament Enacts Disputed Labor Legislation Permitting 13-Hour Working Days in Certain Situations Government Building The Greek legislature has approved a disputed labor reform that enables 13-hour work shifts, despite fierce opposition and countrywide strike actions. Government officials stated the measure will modernize the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster." Key Provisions of the New Labor Law Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek stays unchanged. The government insists that the longer workday is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days annually. Political Backing and Opposition Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left party – now the main resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing group did not vote. Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted transportation and services to a standstill. Official Defense and Employee Protections A senior official defended the bill, saying the reforms bring in line Greek laws with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the citizens. The laws will provide workers the option to take on extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for declining overtime. The measure complies with European Union labor rules, which limit the mean week to forty-eight hours counting overtime but allow adjustments over a year, according to the government. Opposition Perspectives and Union Responses However, critics have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers currently work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet." 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 authorization of excessive labor." Recent Labor Reforms and Economic Context In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to stimulate the economy. New legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40. EU Labor Statistics and National Financial Metrics Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8). The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat. Starting January 2025, the nation's national base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries. Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate. Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.