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Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a hotly debated work legislation that permits 13-hour working days, despite widespread opposition and countrywide protests.

The administration stated the law will modernize Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law."

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek remains in place.

Officials emphasizes that the extended shift is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was backed by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and public services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, stating the changes bring in line Greek laws with modern employment conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will give employees the option to take on extra work with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

This follows European Union labor regulations, which cap the average week to 48 hours counting overtime but permit adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Responses

However, critics have accused the government of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers currently work longer hours than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, allow employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Work Data and National Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest 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 (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but wages and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.