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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a disputed work legislation that enables 13-hour working days, despite fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

The administration claimed the measure will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the New Labor Law

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

Officials emphasizes that the longer workday is elective, only affects the private sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left party – currently the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes demanding the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the changes bring in line national legislation with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide workers the option to take on extra work with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for declining extra hours.

This complies with EU working-time rules, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Responses

However, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers already work longer hours than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

New laws, which started at the start of July, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the EU.