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Greece's parliament has ratified a hotly debated labor reform that permits 13-hour working days, despite strong resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials claimed the law will update Greek labor regulations, but critics from the progressive party described it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

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

The government maintains that the longer workday is optional, only applies to the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left faction – now the primary resistance – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the bill, claiming the reforms bring in line national laws with modern employment conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the option to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for declining extra hours.

The measure follows European Union working-time regulations, which cap the average week to 48 hours including extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, according to the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

But, critics have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees currently put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Context

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

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of July, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Work Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.