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Government Building

The Greek legislature has approved a disputed labor reform that authorizes 13-hour working days, despite widespread resistance and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the measure will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party described it as a "harmful law."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek remains in place.

The government insists that the longer workday is optional, only affects the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal recently that brought public transport and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, saying the changes bring in line Greek legislation with modern labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

The laws will provide workers the option to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure complies with EU labor rules, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, critics have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Economic Context

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

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

EU Work Data and National Financial Indicators

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, the nation's official base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and quality of life remain among the lowest in the European Union.