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Greece Approves Controversial Workplace Legislation Allowing 13-Hour Working Days in Certain Cases
Government Building
The Greek legislature has approved a hotly debated labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, despite fierce opposition and nationwide protests.
The administration stated the measure will revamp the country's work laws, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "harmful law."
Main Provisions of the New Work Legislation
According to the freshly approved law, annual extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour week stays unchanged.
The government insists that the extended workday is voluntary, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days each year.
Parliamentary Backing and Opposition
The recent ballot was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the moderate party – now the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.
Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that brought public transport and services to a standstill.
Government Justification and Employee Safeguards
A senior official defended the bill, saying the reforms align national laws with modern labor-market conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the citizens.
These regulations will give employees the option to accept additional hours with the same employer for increased pay, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for declining overtime.
The measure follows European Union working-time rules, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, according to the government.
Critical Viewpoints and Labor Responses
However, critics have charged the administration of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They say local employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."
A major labor organization said flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."
Previous Workplace Reforms and Economic Background
In 2024, the country enacted a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to boost the economy.
Recent laws, which started at the beginning of July, allow employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.
European Work Data and Greek Financial Metrics
- Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
- The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
- Starting January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
- Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
- Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.
Brian Hernandez
A passionate writer and shopping enthusiast with a keen eye for quality products and lifestyle trends.
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