Greece passes law permitting 13-hour working day “Fair Work for All” bill approved

Greece’s parliament has approved a law allowing a 13-hour working day, a move that has sparked protests from trade unions and opposition parties.

According to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), 156 lawmakers from the ruling New Democracy party and two independent MPs voted in favour of the bill, titled “Fair Work for All,” out of the 300-member single-chamber parliament.

Opposition lawmakers cast 109 votes against it, while members of the Coalition of the Radical Left – Progressive Alliance abstained.

In recent months, unions backed by opposition parties staged nationwide strikes and demonstrations, denouncing the legislation as “medieval labour law” and demanding a five-day work week with seven-hour workdays, along with higher wages.

Labour Minister Niki Kerameus told parliament that the bill contains 97 articles, many offering additional benefits for workers, and said critics were focusing solely on the provision for a 13-hour workday. She stressed that this extended workday would only apply in exceptional cases, limited to three days per month and 37 days per year.

Kerameus added that 13-hour workdays already exist in practice, as many Greeks currently work for multiple employers in one day. The law allows employees to work 13 hours consecutively for a single employer with a 40% pay increase, subject to worker consent and other labour protections.

By Aghakazim Guliyev