🔗 Share this article

Government Building

The Greek parliament has given the green light a disputed work legislation that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration claimed the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved law, yearly extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials insists that the extended workday is optional, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate party – now the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

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

Official Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, claiming the reforms bring in line Greek laws with modern employment realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

The laws will give employees the option to take on additional hours with the current company for increased compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining overtime.

This follows EU labor regulations, which limit the mean workweek to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

However, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek employees currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Reforms and Economic Context

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

New legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, allow employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Work Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the highest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's official minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the EU.