Unions announced a strike in protest against the government's plan to extend the law on the maximum duration of the workday to 13 hours for all workers. Currently, this only applies to those working in two places.
A 24-hour nationwide strike in Greece affected government institutions, hospitals, educational establishments, and transportation on Wednesday. The GSEE and ADEDY unions announced the strike in protest against a new labor bill that legalizes the possibility of extending the 13-hour workday to all workers (currently, this is only possible for those employed in two jobs).
The law is expected to come into effect within October. Unions say this will increase pressure on workers in Greece, which is gradually emerging from the debt crisis of 2009-2018.
In Athens, just before noon, thousands of citizens began gathering at Klathmonos Square to march to Syntagma Square in front of Parliament, where a large rally commenced. Protests are also taking place in other major cities across the country.
"We say 'no' to the 13-hour workweek. Exhaustion is not growth; there is a limit to human endurance. We say 'no' to the fragmentation of free time," emphasized GSEE. It calls on all workers to participate en masse and dynamically in the strike.
The main demands include the rejection of the package of measures regulating working hours, which the union claims is "a gift to certain employer interests," improving the quality of working conditions and their remuneration.
At the same time, the confederation demands a reduction in working hours. In its view, a 37.5-hour workweek is socially just and has positive outcomes where it has been implemented in practice. GSEE also calls for the full restoration of free collective bargaining, as it believes this is a necessary condition for true democracy in the workplace and the only way to improve wages and working conditions.
For its part, ADEDY demands the restoration of the 13th and 14th salaries and an increase in wages, collective labor agreements in the public sector, the repeal of the new disciplinary law, and the withdrawal of the 13-hour bill, advocating for a 35-hour, 5-day workweek for all workers.
Teacher federations from both the public and private sectors (IOE, OLME, and OIELE) have called on teachers to participate in the strike, demanding the withdrawal of the Labor Ministry's bill, the repeal of the new Disciplinary Law, the restoration of the 13th and 14th salaries, an increase in wages, and the signing of Collective Labor Agreements with the public sector.
Among the main demands of PAME are the withdrawal of the new labor bill and the repeal of all anti-labor laws, a 7-hour workday, a 35-hour, 5-day workweek, and the conclusion of collective labor agreements, measures for health and safety at workplaces, the restoration of the 13th and 14th salaries for public servants, and other collective achievements such as three-year contracts (2012-2023), contracts after the end of employment, and the accumulation of contracts.
The Athens Labor Center also called on its affiliated unions, workers, youth, pensioners, and the unemployed in the Athens region to participate in the 24-hour nationwide strike declared by GSEE on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, and in the union assembly at 11 a.m. at Klathmonos Square.
Public Transport and Flights
Transport workers are also participating in the 24-hour nationwide strike.
It should be noted that by a decision of the Athens first-instance court, the participation of the Greek Association of Air Traffic Controllers (EEKKE), OSEPA, and ENIMAEK in the strike was deemed illegal, so flights scheduled for Wednesday, October 1, 2025, will not be affected by the strike.
The Association of Taxi Drivers of Attica (SATA) also announced its participation in the strike, opposing the bill and demanding decent working conditions for professionals in this sector.
