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Government Building

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

The administration asserted the measure will update the country's labor regulations, but critics from the progressive party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

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

The government maintains that the extended workday is elective, solely affects the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate party – currently the primary opposition – voting against the legislation, while the progressive group did not vote.

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

Government Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, stating the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with modern employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will give workers the choice to take on extra work with the current company for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure complies with European Union labor regulations, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours including overtime but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers currently work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Reforms and Economic Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a bid to boost the economy.

New legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, permit workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Work Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• Starting this year, Greece's national minimum wage was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.