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The Greek parliament has given the green light a disputed work legislation that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the law will update Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the New Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour week remains in place.

Officials maintains that the longer workday is optional, solely affects the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative political group, with the centre-left party – now the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that halted public transport and public services to a stop.

Government Justification and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, saying the changes align Greek laws with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

These regulations will provide workers the option to take on additional hours with the current company for increased pay, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with European Union working-time regulations, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but allow flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, critics have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers already put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Changes and Financial Background

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day working week for specific sectors in a attempt to boost economic growth.

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, permit employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Work Statistics and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, the nation's national base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.