🔗 Share this article The Greek Parliament Approves Disputed Workplace Legislation Authorizing Longer Working Days in Certain Cases Government Building Greece's parliament has ratified a contentious labor reform that permits 13-hour working days, in the face of widespread opposition and countrywide strike actions. Government officials stated the measure will modernize Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law." Main Provisions of the New Work Legislation Under the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek stays unchanged. Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is elective, only applies to the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days annually. Parliamentary Support and Resistance Thursday's vote was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the moderate faction – currently the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group abstained. Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal recently that brought public transport and services to a standstill. Official Defense and Worker Protections A senior official supported the legislation, stating the reforms align Greek laws with current labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the citizens. These regulations will give workers the option to take on additional hours with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for declining overtime. This complies with European Union labor rules, which cap the mean workweek to 48 hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration. Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses However, opposition parties have accused the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers currently put in more time than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties." A major labor organization said variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor." Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Background In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a attempt to boost the economy. New legislation, which started at the start of July, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of 40. EU Labor Data and National Economic Metrics 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. The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics. Starting January 2025, Greece's national base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries. Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate. Greece is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.