Greece Passes Controversial Labor Legislation Authorizing 13-Hour Working Days in Certain Situations

Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a disputed labor reform that authorizes 13-hour working days, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide protests.

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

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted law, yearly overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the extended workday is optional, only affects the business sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – currently the main opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

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

Official Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the bill, saying the reforms align Greek laws with current labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

The laws will give employees the option to take on extra work with the same employer for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This complies with EU labor regulations, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Responses

However, critics have accused the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue local workers already work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Context

Last year, the country introduced a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to boost economic growth.

Recent laws, which came into effect at the start of the summer, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Work Data and National Economic Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national base pay 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 8.1% in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.