🔗 Share this article

Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a disputed labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials stated the measure will update Greek work laws, but critics from the progressive party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved law, annual extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek remains in place.

The government maintains that the extended shift is optional, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was backed by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – currently the main resistance – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing party abstained.

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

Government Justification and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the changes align national laws with current labor-market conditions, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give employees the option to accept additional hours with the current company for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for declining overtime.

The measure complies with EU working-time regulations, which cap the mean week to 48 hours counting overtime but permit flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Responses

However, critics have charged the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees already put in more time than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Context

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to boost economic growth.

Recent legislation, which started at the start of July, permit workers to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

EU Work Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's official minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.