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Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a hotly debated work legislation that permits 13-hour working days, in the face of widespread opposition and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the measure will update the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party described it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly extra hours is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour week remains in place.

The government emphasizes that the longer shift is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

The recent ballot was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the moderate party – currently the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the bill, claiming the reforms bring in line national legislation with modern labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide workers the choice to accept additional hours with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for declining overtime.

The measure follows European Union labor regulations, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

However, critics have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They argue local employees currently work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for certain industries in a bid to stimulate the economy.

New legislation, which started at the start of the summer, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Labor Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• Starting this year, Greece's official base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.