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Greece's parliament has given the green light a disputed labor reform that enables 13-hour work shifts, despite fierce opposition and nationwide protests.

Government officials stated the measure will update the country's work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, annual extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek stays unchanged.

The government emphasizes that the longer workday is optional, only applies to the business sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – currently the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes demanding the law's repeal this month that brought public transport and services to a stop.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the bill, stating the changes align national legislation with modern labor-market conditions, and accused critics of misleading the citizens.

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

This follows European Union labor regulations, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over a year, according to the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Financial Context

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

Recent laws, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Work Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.