The Greek Parliament Approves Disputed Labor Law Allowing 13-Hour Working Days in Certain Cases

Government Building

Greece's legislature has given the green light a hotly debated work legislation that permits 13-hour work shifts, despite strong opposition and countrywide strike actions.

The administration asserted the law will revamp the country's work laws, but critics from the progressive faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek stays unchanged.

The government insists that the extended workday is voluntary, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the moderate party – now the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes demanding the law's repeal recently that brought public transport and services to a stop.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, stating the reforms align Greek laws with modern labor-market conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will give workers the option to accept additional hours with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with EU working-time regulations, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

But, critics have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They say local workers already work longer hours than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

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

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Background

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

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent 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 indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.