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Government Building

The Greek legislature has approved a disputed labor reform that authorizes 13-hour working days, in the face of fierce opposition and nationwide protests.

Government officials stated the measure will update the country's work laws, but critics from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials emphasizes that the longer workday is elective, solely applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing centre-right party, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary opposition – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

A senior official defended the legislation, stating the reforms align Greek laws with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide employees the option to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining extra hours.

This follows EU working-time rules, which limit the mean week to forty-eight hours including overtime but permit adjustments over 12 months, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They say local employees currently put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to boost the economy.

New laws, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union 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.
• Starting this year, the nation's official minimum wage was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the EU.