Greece’s parliament on Thursday approved a controversial law that will allow workers to work up to 13 hours a day, despite strong protests from unions and Greek opposition parties. The conservative New Democracy government argues that the reform “modernises” Greece‘s labour legislation, while left-wing parties call it a “monstrosity”.
According to media outlets such as the BBC, the vote went ahead thanks to the absolute majority of the ruling New Democracy party, while Pasok, the main opposition force, voted against. The Syriza party refused to participate in the session, and its parliamentary spokesman, Christos Giannoulis, denounced it as a “legislative monstrosity“.
During this month, trade unions have called two general strikes that have paralysed public transport and various services, demanding the withdrawal of the reform. During the protests, thousands of workers denounced the measure as “worthy of the Middle Ages“, according to Syriza representatives. The opposition accuses the government of eroding labour rights and “taking the country back to medieval times”, reminding the Government that Greeks already work longer hours than most Europeans and earn lower wages.
The new law, which will come into force in the coming weeks, allows employees to work longer hours for a single employer, a possibility that previously only existed for those with more than one work. The text provides that workers will be able to work additional hours with the same employer in exchange for 40% more pay, and that they cannot be dismissed if they refuse to work excess hours.
Greeks are the hardest-working and lowest paid in the EU
The conservative Greek government, on the other hand, maintains that the 13-hour working day will be optional, that it will apply only in the private sector and that it can be used for a maximum of 37 days a year: “We are offering the possibility of doing this additional work for the same employer, without commuting and with a 40% increase in salary,” Labour Minister Niki Kerameus told the so-called Parliament of the Hellenes (Greek parliament). According to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government, the measure complies with EU rules on working time, which limit the average working week to 48 hours but, at the same time allow for some flexibility over a 12-month period.
Although Greece has shown signs of recovery from the severe 10-year debt crisis from which it officially emerged in 2018 – after exiting the latest Troika bailout programme – wages and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union. In 2024, the Greek government already introduced a six-day working week in certain sectors with the aim of boosting economic growth: the regulation, in force since July, allows working up to 48 hours a week as opposed to the previous 40.
According to Eurostat data, Greece had the longest working week in the EU in 2024 (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8); at the other end of the scale was the Netherlands, with only 32.1 hours per week. As of January 2025, the minimum wage for a Greek was 968 euros per month, which puts Greece on the list of countries paying the lowest wages to their workers in the European Union.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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