The Greek Parliament Approves Controversial Labor Law Permitting Longer Working Days in Certain Situations

Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a disputed labor reform that enables 13-hour working days, despite strong resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials stated the measure will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted law, yearly overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the longer workday is voluntary, solely affects the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days each year.

Political Support and Resistance

Thursday's vote was supported by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left faction – now the main resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes demanding the law's repeal recently that halted public transport and public services to a stop.

Government Justification and Worker Safeguards

A senior official defended the bill, saying the reforms align Greek legislation with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will give workers the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining overtime.

The measure complies with European Union working-time rules, which cap the average workweek to forty-eight hours including extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, according to the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Background

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

Recent legislation, which started at the start of July, permit employees to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Labor Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.