The Greek Parliament Approves Controversial Workplace Law Permitting 13-Hour Working Days in Specific Cases

Government Building

Greece's parliament has ratified a contentious labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the measure will update the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour week continues as before.

The government emphasizes that the longer workday is elective, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the main opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests demanding the law's repeal this month that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the bill, stating the reforms bring in line national laws with modern labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give workers the choice to accept extra work with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for refusing extra hours.

This follows EU working-time rules, which cap the mean workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

But, critics have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers already put in more time than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Changes and Financial Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

Recent legislation, which started at the start of July, permit workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Labor Data and National Economic Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• As of this year, the nation's official base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.