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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a contentious work legislation that authorizes 13-hour working days, despite fierce opposition and countrywide protests.

Government officials stated the law will revamp Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved law, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week remains in place.

The government insists that the longer shift is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can only be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Opposition

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests demanding the law's repeal this month that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, saying the reforms bring in line national laws with current labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misleading the public.

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

The measure complies with European Union labor regulations, which cap the mean workweek to 48 hours counting overtime but allow adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, critics have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees currently work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Context

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

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

EU Labor Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.