Greece Passes Debated Labor Legislation Authorizing 13-Hour Working Days in Specific Cases

Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a disputed work legislation that permits 13-hour work shifts, despite widespread opposition and countrywide protests.

The administration asserted the measure will update the country's labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is also at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour week remains in place.

Officials insists that the longer workday is elective, only affects the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days each year.

Political Support and Resistance

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate party – now the main resistance – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, stating the reforms bring in line Greek laws with modern employment realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give employees the option to take on extra work with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

This complies with European Union labor rules, which cap the average workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, critics have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say Greek workers currently put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to boost economic growth.

New legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, permit workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of forty.

EU Labor Statistics and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the highest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of 5.9%, data from Eurostat show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.