Germana Carillo Greece has approved a measure allowing companies to extend the workday beyond the standard 8 hours (for a maximum of 37 days per year) in the name of "modernizing" the labor market. But how truly productive will it be, especially in terms of workers' health?
The Greek Parliament has approved a controversial bill introducing the possibility of working up to 13 hours per day, on a voluntary basis and for a maximum of 37 days per year.
The measure, strongly pushed by the conservative government of Nea Dimokratia, allows companies to extend the workday beyond the standard 8 hours, including one overtime hour paid with a 20% premium and up to 4 additional hours paid at 40% extra.
According to the executive, the goal would be to “modernize” the labor market and compensate for vacation days, thereby increasing productivity. In practice, with these extra-large workdays, employees would cover the equivalent of 24 standard working days, eliminating the economic loss from rest periods.
The approved package — 97 articles in total — also includes new faster hiring and firing procedures and the introduction of a four-day workweek.
But while the government speaks of “flexibility,” opposition parties denounce “a new Middle Ages of rights” and unions are announcing new general strikes. In Greece, even today, the average weekly working hours are among the highest in Europe: 39.8 compared to the EU’s 35.8, according to Eurostat.
Why this might not be a good idea
Well, because behind the rhetoric of “modernization” lies a measure that risks worsening workers’ living conditions, not improving them. Talking about “voluntary” agreements in a context of precariousness and low wages effectively means transferring economic pressure onto employees’ shoulders, who will accept grueling hours out of necessity rather than choice.
A 13-hour workday undermines the right to rest, health, and work-life balance, precisely while many European countries are experimenting with the short week as a model for well-being and productivity. The idea that competitiveness is built by working more — instead of better — is simply outdated.
And in Greece, where work is already among the longest and lowest-paid in Europe, this law risks becoming a step backward of decades.
Source: Greek Reporter
