Greece Enacts Disputed Labor Law Allowing 13-Hour Working Days in Certain Circumstances

Government Building

Greece's parliament has ratified a disputed labor reform that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, despite strong resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials claimed the law will modernize the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted legislation, annual extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek remains in place.

The government emphasizes that the longer workday is elective, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – now the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests demanding the law's repeal recently that halted transportation and services to a stop.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, claiming the reforms bring in line Greek laws with modern labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the choice to accept extra work with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure follows EU labor regulations, which cap the average week to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, critics have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek workers already put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Changes and Financial Context

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a bid to boost the economy.

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to forty.

EU Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's official base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing 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 versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.