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Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a contentious work legislation that authorizes 13-hour working days, despite widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials stated the measure will update Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the New Labor Law

According to the freshly approved law, annual extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week continues as before.

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

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the main resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party abstained.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought public transport and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, saying the changes align Greek legislation with modern employment conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the choice to accept additional hours with the current company for increased pay, while ensuring they cannot be fired for declining extra hours.

This complies with EU working-time rules, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees already work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Background

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

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of July, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Work Data and National Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's national base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• 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 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.