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The Greek legislature has given the green light a disputed labor reform that permits 13-hour working days, in the face of fierce opposition and countrywide protests.

The administration stated the measure will revamp the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour week continues as before.

The government insists that the longer workday is optional, only applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

The recent ballot was backed by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate party – currently the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that halted public transport and public services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the changes bring in line Greek legislation with current employment realities, and accused critics of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide workers the option to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining overtime.

The measure follows EU labor rules, which cap the mean workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

However, critics have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local employees currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Changes and Financial Context

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to boost economic growth.

Recent laws, which started at the beginning of July, allow employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Work Statistics and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's national minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the EU.