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Greece's parliament has ratified a contentious labor reform that permits 13-hour working days, despite fierce opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the measure will revamp the country's work laws, but critics from the progressive party described it as a "harmful law."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved law, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

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

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left faction – now the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing party abstained.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests demanding the law's repeal recently that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the bill, saying the changes bring in line national laws with current labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

The laws will give workers the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure follows EU working-time rules, which cap the average week to 48 hours including overtime but allow flexibility over a year, according to the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They say local workers currently work longer hours 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 family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Context

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to boost economic growth.

New legislation, which started at the beginning of July, permit workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and National Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's national base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the EU.