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Government Building

Greece's legislature has ratified a contentious work legislation that permits 13-hour work shifts, despite fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration claimed the law will update the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week remains in place.

Officials insists that the extended shift is elective, only affects the private sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate party – currently the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests demanding the law's repeal this month that brought public transport and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Safeguards

A senior official defended the bill, claiming the changes align Greek legislation with current labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misleading the public.

The laws will give employees the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while ensuring they cannot be fired for declining extra hours.

This follows European Union working-time rules, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

However, critics have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue local employees currently put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Context

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

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, permit employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Labor Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.