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Government Building

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

Government officials asserted the law will modernize Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week remains in place.

The government insists that the extended workday is voluntary, only applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – now the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive party did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, claiming the reforms align national laws with modern employment realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the public.

The laws will provide workers the option to accept additional hours with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining overtime.

The measure complies with EU labor regulations, which limit the mean week to forty-eight hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Responses

However, critics have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say local workers currently put in more time than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy.

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's official base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but wages and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the EU.