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Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a disputed labor reform that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, despite fierce opposition and countrywide strike actions.

The administration stated the measure will update Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week remains in place.

The government emphasizes that the longer shift is elective, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling conservative political group, with the centre-left faction – now the main opposition – rejecting 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 halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, stating the changes bring in line national laws with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

The laws will give workers the option to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for declining extra hours.

This follows European Union working-time rules, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, critics have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Changes and Financial Background

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to boost economic growth.

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, permit employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

EU Labor Data and National Financial Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's official base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but wages and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the EU.