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Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a disputed work legislation that permits 13-hour working days, in the face of fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

The administration claimed the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

The government maintains that the extended workday is voluntary, only applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – now the main opposition – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the changes align national legislation with current employment conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will give employees the option to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

This follows EU labor rules, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but permit adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, critics have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local employees currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Reforms and Economic Context

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to boost the economy.

New laws, which started at the start of the summer, allow employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.