🔗 Share this article The Greek Parliament Enacts Debated Labor Legislation Authorizing 13-Hour Workdays in Specific Cases Government Building Greece's legislature has given the green light a hotly debated labor reform that enables 13-hour working days, despite fierce resistance and countrywide protests. The administration claimed the measure will revamp Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity." Main Elements of the New Work Legislation Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-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 thirty-seven days annually. Parliamentary Backing and Resistance The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left faction – now the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote. Worker organizations have organized two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that brought public transport and public services to a standstill. Official Justification and Worker Protections The Labor Minister supported the bill, saying the changes align national legislation with modern labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens. The laws will give employees the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for declining overtime. The measure follows EU labor regulations, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but allow flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the government. Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions However, critics have accused the government of eroding workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say local employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet." The public-sector union said variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation." Recent Labor Changes and Economic Background Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for certain industries in a bid to boost the economy. Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of forty. EU Labor Data and Greek Financial Indicators Throughout the European Union in 2024, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania. The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat. Starting this year, Greece's official base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries. Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show. Greece is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but wages and quality of life remain among the poorest in the EU.