The Greek Parliament Approves Disputed Workplace Legislation Authorizing Longer Workdays in Certain Cases

Government Building

The Greek legislature has ratified a contentious labor reform that enables 13-hour work shifts, despite widespread opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the law will modernize Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, yearly overtime is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week continues as before.

The government maintains that the extended workday is elective, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling conservative political group, with the moderate faction – now the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes calling for the law's repeal recently that halted transportation and services to a stop.

Government Defense and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the reforms align national legislation with current labor-market realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give workers the option to accept additional hours with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

The measure follows European Union labor regulations, which limit the average week to 48 hours including overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, critics have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek employees currently put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Changes and Financial Context

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to boost economic growth.

New legislation, which started at the start of July, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's national base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.