Greece has introduced legislation permitting a 13-hour work day, extending the legal ceiling on daily working time for employees across the country.

The move has drawn sharp criticism from workers who say they are already exhausted and do not want longer days. Employees and labour representatives have questioned why the government has adopted a measure that the workforce itself rejects.

Why does the change matter for hospitality?

The hospitality sector is one of the industries most exposed to extended-hours regulation. Hotels, restaurants and catering operators in Greek tourist destinations routinely manage long seasonal shifts, staffing shortfalls and intense summer demand.

A 13-hour daily limit gives employers in these sectors greater formal flexibility to schedule staff across extended service windows. It also raises direct questions about:

• Compliance with EU working-time directives and mandatory rest periods
• Overtime cost calculations and payroll systems
• Staff retention in an industry already struggling with burnout
• Collective bargaining responses from sector unions

What does the workforce say?

Worker opposition is central to the debate. The policy's own beneficiaries — the employees — are reported to be exhausted and opposed to longer days, which puts employers in a difficult position when it comes to actually using the extended hours.

Operators face a practical mismatch: the law may permit 13-hour days, but applying them to an already fatigued workforce risks accelerating turnover, absenteeism and recruitment problems that European hospitality businesses can ill afford.

What happens next?

Expect continued contestation. Unions and worker groups are likely to challenge the measure or press for compensatory conditions, while employers will test how the new daily limit interacts with existing contracts and rest rules. Operators with Greek properties should review shift scheduling, overtime policies and compliance procedures before the extended hours translate into disputes or filings.