Greece Approves Debated Workplace Legislation Authorizing Longer Working Days in Certain Circumstances

Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a hotly debated labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

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

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, annual overtime is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour week continues as before.

The government maintains that the extended workday is voluntary, only applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests demanding the law's repeal recently that brought public transport and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the changes bring in line Greek legislation with modern employment conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

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

The measure complies with European Union labor regulations, which cap the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting overtime but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Responses

However, opposition parties have accused the government of weakening workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say local employees currently put in more time than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a bid to boost the economy.

New laws, which started at the start of the summer, permit employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Work Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's national base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.