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Government Building

Greece's legislature has given the green light a disputed work legislation that enables 13-hour working days, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration asserted the measure will revamp Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour week continues as before.

The government emphasizes that the extended shift is voluntary, only applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the moderate party – currently the primary opposition – voting against the legislation, while the progressive group abstained.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that halted transportation and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, claiming the reforms align national laws with current labor-market conditions, and accused critics of misleading the public.

These regulations will give employees the option to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

This follows EU labor rules, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Responses

However, critics have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek employees currently put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Economic Background

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

Recent laws, which started at the start of the summer, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Work Data and National Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the European Union.