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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious labor reform that enables 13-hour working days, despite strong opposition and countrywide strike actions.

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

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted law, yearly overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

Officials insists that the longer workday is elective, only applies to the business sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

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

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

Government Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, stating the reforms align national laws with current labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the public.

The laws will provide workers the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with European Union labor rules, which cap the mean week to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Responses

However, critics have charged the government of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers already put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Context

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

New legislation, which started at the beginning of July, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Labor Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the highest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the EU.