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Greece's parliament has ratified a disputed labor reform that enables 13-hour work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials claimed the measure will modernize Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, annual extra hours is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the extended workday is optional, only affects the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the centre-left party – currently the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal recently that halted public transport and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, saying the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with current employment realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the public.

The laws will provide employees the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for declining extra hours.

This follows EU labor rules, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local workers already put in more time than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Context

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

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

European Labor Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• 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 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.