🔗 Share this article

Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a contentious labor reform that enables 13-hour work shifts, in the face of strong opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration claimed the measure will update the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, annual overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week continues as before.

The government maintains that the extended shift is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate faction – now the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal this month that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, stating the changes bring in line national legislation with modern labor-market conditions, and alleged critics of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide employees the option to accept extra work with the current company for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

This complies with EU labor rules, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

However, opposition parties have charged the administration of eroding workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local employees already work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

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

New laws, which came into effect at the beginning of July, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to forty.

European Labor Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.