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Government Building

The Greek legislature has ratified a hotly debated labor reform that authorizes 13-hour working days, despite fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the law will revamp the country's labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted law, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week continues as before.

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

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – currently the primary opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive party abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal recently that halted public transport and public services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Safeguards

A senior official defended the bill, saying the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with current labor-market conditions, and alleged critics of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give employees the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining overtime.

This follows European Union working-time regulations, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours including overtime but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, critics have accused the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek employees currently put in more time than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

In 2024, the country enacted a six-day working week for certain industries in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

Recent legislation, which started at the start of the summer, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's official base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.