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Government Building

Greece's parliament has ratified a hotly debated work legislation that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, despite widespread opposition and countrywide strike actions.

The administration claimed the law will modernize Greek work laws, but critics from the progressive party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the New Labor Law

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 workday is optional, only affects the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate party – now the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that brought public transport and services to a stop.

Government Justification and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, saying the reforms bring in line national laws with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide employees the choice to take on extra work with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for refusing overtime.

The measure follows European Union labor rules, which cap the average workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

However, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local workers currently put in more time 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 abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Changes and Economic Background

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

Recent laws, which started at the start of the summer, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage was €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving 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.