🔗 Share this article

Government Building

Greece's parliament has ratified a contentious work legislation that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials asserted the law will revamp Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week stays unchanged.

The government insists that the extended shift is voluntary, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative political group, with the moderate party – currently the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

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

Official Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the bill, stating the reforms bring in line national laws with modern labor-market conditions, and accused critics of misleading the public.

The laws will provide workers the option to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

This follows European Union labor rules, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours counting overtime but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers currently work longer hours than most Europeans 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 eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's national minimum wage was €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.