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Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a disputed work legislation that authorizes 13-hour working days, in the face of strong opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration asserted the measure will modernize the country's labor regulations, but critics from the progressive faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

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

The government insists that the extended workday is voluntary, solely applies to the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – now the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

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

Government Defense and Employee Safeguards

A senior official defended the legislation, saying the changes align Greek legislation with modern employment conditions, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will provide employees the option to take on extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for declining overtime.

This follows European Union working-time rules, which limit the average week to 48 hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Responses

However, critics have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek workers currently put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

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

Recent Workplace Changes and Financial Background

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy.

New laws, which came into effect at the beginning of July, allow workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Work Data and National Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing 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 compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.