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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a hotly debated work legislation that authorizes 13-hour working days, in the face of widespread resistance and nationwide protests.

Government officials stated the measure will modernize the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the New Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved law, annual overtime is also at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour week remains in place.

Officials emphasizes that the extended shift is optional, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – now the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that brought public transport and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Employee Safeguards

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

The laws will give employees the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for declining extra hours.

The measure complies with European Union labor rules, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

However, critics have charged the administration of weakening workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees currently put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

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

Recent Labor Changes and Economic Context

In 2024, the country enacted a six-day working week for specific sectors in a bid to boost economic growth.

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

European Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.