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Government Building

Greece's legislature has given the green light a hotly debated work legislation that authorizes 13-hour working days, in the face of widespread opposition and nationwide protests.

Government officials stated the law will modernize the country's labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the New Labor Law

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week stays unchanged.

The government insists that the extended shift is elective, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was backed by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right party, with the centre-left party – now the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the reforms align Greek legislation with modern employment realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will provide workers the option to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure follows European Union labor regulations, which cap the average week to 48 hours including extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say local workers currently work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for certain industries in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

Recent laws, which started at the start of July, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

European Work Data and National Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.