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Government Building

The Greek legislature has approved a hotly debated work legislation that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the law will update Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek remains in place.

The government insists that the longer workday is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the moderate party – now the main opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal recently that brought public transport and services to a stop.

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, saying the changes align Greek legislation with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the option to accept extra work with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure follows EU labor regulations, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek workers already put in more time than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Background

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

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Work Data and National Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.