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Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a disputed work legislation that enables 13-hour working days, in the face of strong resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration claimed the law will revamp the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, yearly extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour week remains in place.

Officials maintains that the extended workday is elective, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was backed by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate faction – currently the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal recently that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the changes bring in line national laws with modern employment realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide employees the option to take on extra work with the current company for increased pay, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with EU working-time rules, which limit the mean week to 48 hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local workers currently work longer hours than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

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 over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Changes and Financial Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, permit employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

European Labor Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.