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Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a contentious work legislation that enables 13-hour working days, in the face of widespread resistance and nationwide protests.

The administration claimed the measure will update Greek labor regulations, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour week continues as before.

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

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing centre-right party, with the centre-left faction – currently the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive group abstained.

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

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the bill, stating the reforms bring in line national legislation with current employment realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the option to take on extra work with the same employer for increased pay, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

This follows European Union working-time rules, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Work Statistics and National Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• As of this year, Greece's official minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.