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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a contentious work legislation that enables 13-hour working days, despite strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration stated the law will revamp Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the New Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials insists that the longer workday is voluntary, only applies to the business sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days annually.

Political Support and Resistance

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate party – now the primary resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that brought transportation and services to a stop.

Government Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the bill, claiming the reforms align national legislation with modern labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

The laws will give workers the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure follows European Union labor rules, which cap the mean week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but allow flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, critics have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local employees currently put in more time than the majority of 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 eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

New laws, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.