🔗 Share this article The Greek Parliament Approves Controversial Labor Legislation Authorizing Extended Working Days in Certain Circumstances Government Building Greece's parliament has ratified a hotly debated work legislation that enables 13-hour working days, in the face of strong opposition and nationwide protests. The administration claimed the measure will revamp the country's labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster." Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law According to the newly enacted law, yearly overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek remains in place. Officials maintains that the extended workday is elective, only applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year. Parliamentary Support and Opposition Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing conservative party, with the moderate party – now the primary opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing party abstained. Labor unions have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal recently that halted transportation and services to a stop. Government Justification and Worker Protections The Labor Minister defended the legislation, saying the changes bring in line national legislation with modern labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the public. The laws will give workers the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing extra hours. The measure complies with European Union working-time rules, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over a year, according to the government. Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses However, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers currently put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties." A major labor organization said variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor." Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Context Last year, Greece enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to boost the economy. New laws, which started at the start of the summer, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of 40. EU Work Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators Across the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8). The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics. Starting January 2025, the nation's national base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries. Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show. Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.