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Greece's parliament has approved a hotly debated labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the measure will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek remains in place.

Officials insists that the longer workday is optional, solely applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – now the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing party 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.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the reforms bring in line Greek laws with current employment realities, and accused critics of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give employees the option to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing extra hours.

This complies with EU working-time rules, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, critics have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local employees already work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Context

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day working week for certain industries in a bid to stimulate the economy.

New laws, which started at the start of the summer, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Work Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent 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 improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the European Union.