The Greek Parliament Approves Controversial Labor Legislation Permitting 13-Hour Working Days in Specific Situations

Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, despite strong resistance and nationwide protests.

Government officials stated the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek stays unchanged.

Officials insists that the extended shift is elective, only applies to the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Resistance

The recent vote was backed by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the moderate party – now the main opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that brought public transport and services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, saying the reforms align national legislation with modern employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide employees the option to accept additional hours with the same employer for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for declining extra hours.

This complies with EU working-time rules, which cap the average week to 48 hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees already put in more time than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

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

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Context

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

Recent laws, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• Starting this year, the nation's official base pay stood at €968 a month, placing 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 five point nine percent, data from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.