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Government Building

Greece's parliament has ratified a hotly debated work legislation that authorizes 13-hour working days, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration claimed the measure will revamp Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved law, yearly overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

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

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative political group, with the moderate faction – now the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing party abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that halted public transport and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the reforms bring in line national laws with modern labor-market conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide employees the option to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This complies with EU labor regulations, which limit the mean workweek to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

However, critics have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees currently work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Context

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

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Labor Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.