The Greek Parliament Approves Debated Labor Legislation Permitting 13-Hour Working Days in Certain Cases

Government Building

Greece's legislature has given the green light a contentious labor reform that enables 13-hour working days, despite strong resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the measure will modernize Greek labor regulations, but critics from the progressive party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek remains in place.

The government emphasizes that the extended shift is elective, only affects the business sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

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

Labor unions have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that halted public transport and public services to a stop.

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

A senior official supported the bill, saying the changes bring in line Greek laws with modern labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the option to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

The measure follows EU working-time regulations, which cap the average workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, according to the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently put in more time than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day working week for certain industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

New laws, which came into effect at the beginning of July, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's official base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.