Greece Approves Disputed Labor Law Allowing 13-Hour Working Days in Certain Situations

Government Building

The Greek parliament has given the green light a disputed labor reform that authorizes 13-hour working days, despite strong opposition and nationwide strike actions.

The administration stated the law will update Greek work laws, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "harmful law."

Key Provisions of the New Labor Law

According to the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the extended shift is optional, only affects the business sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left faction – now the primary opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal this month that halted transportation and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, saying the reforms align Greek laws with modern labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will give workers the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This complies with European Union labor regulations, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, according to the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

However, critics have charged the government of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers currently put in more time than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Changes and Financial Context

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

New legislation, which started at the start of July, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Work Data and National Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's official base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.