Greece Enacts Disputed Labor Law Allowing 13-Hour Working Days in Certain Circumstances

Government Building

The Greek parliament has given the green light a contentious work legislation that enables 13-hour working days, despite widespread resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the measure will update Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is voluntary, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

The recent vote was supported by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate party – now the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that brought transportation and services to a stop.

Official Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the bill, stating the changes align national legislation with modern employment realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

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

This complies with European Union labor rules, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, according to the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees currently work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Background

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, permit employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to forty.

EU Work Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from the statistical office show.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.