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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a hotly debated work legislation that enables 13-hour working days, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration claimed the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials emphasizes that the extended shift is elective, only affects the business sector, and can only be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right party, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

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

Government Justification and Employee Safeguards

A senior official defended the legislation, saying the changes align Greek legislation with modern labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

The laws will provide employees the option to take on additional hours with the same employer for increased pay, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This follows European Union working-time regulations, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but allow flexibility over a year, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

However, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees already work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to boost economic growth.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Work Data and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official base pay stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the EU.