The Greek Parliament Enacts Debated Labor Law Permitting 13-Hour Working Days in Specific Cases

Government Building

The Greek legislature has ratified a disputed labor reform that enables 13-hour work shifts, in the face of strong resistance and nationwide protests.

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

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is also at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week continues as before.

The government insists that the longer shift is voluntary, solely applies to the business sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days annually.

Political Support and Resistance

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate party – currently the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive party did not vote.

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

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

A senior official supported the bill, stating the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with current labor-market realities, and accused critics of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the choice to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure follows European Union working-time rules, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers currently put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to boost economic growth.

New laws, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Work Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's national base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.