🔗 Share this article The Greek Parliament Passes Disputed Workplace Legislation Allowing 13-Hour Workdays in Certain Situations Government Building Greece's parliament has ratified a hotly debated work legislation that permits 13-hour working days, in the face of widespread opposition and nationwide protests. The administration claimed the measure will revamp the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster." Key Elements of the New Labor Law According to the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek continues as before. The government insists that the extended workday is elective, only affects the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days annually. Political Support and Opposition The recent vote was backed by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate party – currently the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party abstained. Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that brought public transport and services to a standstill. Government Defense and Worker Protections A senior official defended the legislation, saying the changes align national laws with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misleading the public. The laws will provide employees the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing overtime. The measure follows European Union labor rules, which cap the average workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, according to the administration. Critical Viewpoints and Union Responses But, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees already put in more time than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties." The public-sector union stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor." Recent Labor Changes and Economic Background In 2024, the country introduced a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to boost economic growth. Recent laws, which started at the beginning of the summer, permit workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40. EU Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania. The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics. As of January 2025, Greece's official minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations. Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office show. Greece is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.