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Greece's legislature has approved a disputed labor reform that enables 13-hour work shifts, despite strong resistance and countrywide strike actions.

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

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek remains in place.

The government maintains that the extended shift is voluntary, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – currently the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the reforms align Greek laws with modern labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give employees the choice to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

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

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the government of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

Recent legislation, which started at the start of the summer, permit workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the highest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's official base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the European Union.