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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a contentious work legislation that permits 13-hour working days, in the face of strong opposition and countrywide protests.

The administration asserted the measure will modernize the country's work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

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

Officials maintains that the extended workday is voluntary, only affects the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Resistance

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary opposition – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes calling for the law's repeal this month that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the bill, stating the changes align national laws with current labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will provide workers the choice to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for declining extra hours.

This complies with European Union labor rules, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, critics have accused the government of eroding workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local workers currently work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

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

Previous Workplace Reforms and Economic Background

Last year, the country introduced a six-day working week for certain industries in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

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

EU Labor Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.