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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious work legislation that permits 13-hour working days, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

Government officials stated the law will modernize Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved law, annual extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

Officials maintains that the extended workday is voluntary, only applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary resistance – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

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

Government Defense and Worker Safeguards

A senior official defended the legislation, stating the changes bring in line national laws with current employment realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give employees the option to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

This complies with EU labor rules, which cap the average workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say local workers currently work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy.

New legislation, which started at the start of July, allow workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the longest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, the nation's national base pay stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.