🔗 Share this article Greece Enacts Debated Workplace Legislation Permitting 13-Hour Workdays in Specific Situations Government Building The Greek parliament has ratified a disputed work legislation that enables 13-hour working days, despite widespread resistance and nationwide strike actions. Government officials claimed the measure will revamp the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster." Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour week stays unchanged. Officials insists that the longer shift is elective, only affects the private sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days each year. Political Backing and Opposition Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate party – now the main resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive group abstained. Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal recently that halted public transport and services to a standstill. Official Justification and Worker Protections A senior official supported the bill, claiming the changes bring in line Greek laws with modern employment realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public. The laws will give employees the option to take on extra work with the current company for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for refusing overtime. This follows EU working-time regulations, which cap the average week to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration. Critical Perspectives and Union Responses But, critics have accused the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek employees currently work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet." A major labor organization stated variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor." Recent Labor Changes and Financial Background Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for specific sectors in a attempt to boost the economy. New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, permit employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40. EU Work Statistics and Greek Financial Metrics Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania. The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat. Starting January 2025, the nation's national base pay stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations. Joblessness, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate. The country is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.