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Greece's legislature has ratified a contentious labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the law will update the country's labor regulations, but critics from the progressive faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Provisions of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek continues as before.

The government emphasizes that the extended shift is voluntary, solely applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – now the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal recently that brought transportation and public services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the bill, stating the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with current labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

These regulations will provide employees the option to take on extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

This complies with European Union labor rules, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

However, opposition parties have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local workers already put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Background

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

New laws, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

European Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's official base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.