The Greek Parliament Passes Debated Labor Legislation Authorizing 13-Hour Workdays in Certain Cases

Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious labor reform that authorizes extended-length work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

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

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials maintains that the longer shift is optional, only applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the centre-left faction – now the main resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests demanding the law's repeal recently that brought transportation and services to a stop.

Official Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the bill, stating the changes align national legislation with current labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will give workers the option to take on extra work with the same employer for increased pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure follows European Union working-time rules, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours counting overtime but permit adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

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

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Changes and Economic Background

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

New laws, which came into effect at the start of the summer, allow workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to forty.

European Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's official base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.