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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a disputed work legislation that permits 13-hour working days, despite fierce opposition and countrywide strike actions.

The administration asserted the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week stays unchanged.

The government emphasizes that the extended shift is elective, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left faction – currently the main resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

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

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

A senior official supported the bill, saying the changes align national legislation with modern 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 fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure follows European Union working-time rules, which cap the mean week to 48 hours counting overtime but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints 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 say Greek employees currently put in more time than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Context

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

New legislation, which started at the start of the summer, allow employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Labor Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, the nation's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.