The Greek Parliament Approves Disputed Workplace Law Authorizing Longer Workdays in Certain Circumstances

Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a hotly debated work legislation that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials stated the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week stays unchanged.

The government emphasizes that the longer workday is elective, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – currently the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the bill, claiming the changes bring in line Greek laws with current labor-market conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide employees the option to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be fired for declining overtime.

This follows EU labor rules, which cap the average week to 48 hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over a year, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

But, critics have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek employees already work longer hours than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Background

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to boost the economy.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, permit employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

EU Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the European Union in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% 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 financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.