The Greek Parliament Approves Controversial Workplace Law Allowing 13-Hour Working Days in Certain Circumstances

Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a disputed labor reform that enables extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials stated the law will revamp the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved law, annual extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and services to a stop.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the bill, stating the reforms bring in line national legislation with current employment conditions, and accused critics of misleading the public.

These regulations will give workers the option to accept additional hours with the same employer for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining overtime.

This complies with EU labor regulations, which cap the average workweek to 48 hours including overtime but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Responses

However, opposition parties have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say local employees currently put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Background

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

New legislation, which started at the start of July, allow workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Labor Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's official base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the EU.