The Greek Parliament Passes Controversial Labor Legislation Allowing Extended Working Days in Certain Situations

Government Building

Greece's legislature has given the green light a contentious labor reform that authorizes 13-hour working days, despite fierce opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the measure will update Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek continues as before.

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

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – currently the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the bill, stating the reforms align Greek legislation with modern employment realities, and alleged critics of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide workers the option to accept extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

This complies with EU labor rules, which limit the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but permit flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Responses

However, critics have charged the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say Greek employees currently work longer hours 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 end of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

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

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, allow employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to forty.

European Labor Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's official base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.