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Greece's parliament has given the green light a disputed work legislation that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, in the face of fierce opposition and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the law will update Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week continues as before.

The government emphasizes that the extended shift is elective, only affects the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Opposition

The recent vote was backed by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate party – currently the main resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive group abstained.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Safeguards

A senior official supported the bill, claiming the reforms align Greek legislation with current labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide employees the choice to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with EU labor rules, which cap the mean workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, according to the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers already put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Context

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

Recent laws, which started at the beginning of the summer, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

EU Work Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting this year, Greece's national base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.