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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a disputed labor reform that enables 13-hour work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the measure will modernize the country's work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the New Labor Law

According to the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

The government maintains that the extended shift is voluntary, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

Thursday's vote was supported by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – currently the primary resistance – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the bill, claiming the reforms align national legislation with current employment realities, and accused 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 pay, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

This complies with European Union labor rules, which limit the average week to 48 hours including overtime but permit adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions

However, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They argue local employees currently work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

Recent legislation, which started at the start of July, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Labor Statistics and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of 5.9%, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.