Weekly rest, days off and the sixth day: five- and six-day weeks in Greece

Every employee gets at least 24 hours of consecutive rest each week, and the 11 hours of daily rest are added to them: as a rule 35 hours in a row, which in principle include Sunday (article 173 of the Labour Code). A day off lasts one day. If the shift before it ends late and the shift after it starts early, the day off alone isn’t enough.

At a glance

• 35 consecutive hours every week (24 + 11), as a rule including Sunday.
• Where objective or technical reasons or the organisation of work justify it, the minimum can be 24 hours.
• Five-day week: 8 hours a day for 40 a week. Six-day week: 6 hours 40 minutes a day.
• A sixth day on a five-day week: only in continuous-operation businesses with rotating shifts, up to 8 hours, at +40%, declared in advance. Hotels and food service are excluded.
• Working on a Sunday: +75%.

35 hours, not just a day off

An example: someone closes on Monday at 23:00, has Tuesday off, and opens on Wednesday at 06:00. From 23:00 on Monday to 06:00 on Wednesday is 31 hours. To reach 35, Wednesday’s shift can’t start before 10:00.

On a five-day week, with two days off in a row, the 35 hours almost always work out. The problem shows on a six-day week, with one day off, and whenever the day off sits between a close and an open.

Sunday

Weekly rest in principle includes Sunday, which as a rest day runs from 00:01 to 24:00. In continuous operations with rotating shift teams, Sunday can run from 06:00 or 07:00 to the same time on Monday.

Whoever works on a Sunday or public holiday gets a 75% premium on the legal daily or hourly wage. Whether a store may open on a Sunday is set by other rules, depending on the sector and the area.

Five-day and six-day weeks

A full-time 40-hour contract is split either into 5 days of 8 hours, or into 6 days of 6 hours and 40 minutes. That is why, in payroll files, the six-day 40-hour week is often written “6ω40λ” (6h40m).

The difference also matters for overtime: on a five-day week extra hours run to the 45th hour of the week, on a six-day week to the 48th (all the limits).

The sixth day on a five-day week

Law 5053/2023 allows, by exception, an employee on a five-day week to work a sixth day, on strict conditions:

• the business is in continuous operation with rotating shifts, and the employee is on a five-day week;
• it is not a hotel or food-service business;
• the sixth day is declared in ERGANI II before the work starts;
• it lasts up to 8 hours, with no extra hours or overtime that day;
• it is paid at the day’s wage plus 40%;
• the limits on working time and rest apply as usual.

So it isn’t a way to turn a five-day week into a six-day one. It is an exception for particular businesses, declared each time.

Consecutive days

Days in a row count across weeks. Someone who worked Thursday to Sunday and works Monday to Wednesday has 7 days in a row, even if each week on its own has a day off.

In Postorunner, the limit on consecutive days is checked on every generation and every save, counting the previous week’s days: a seventh consecutive day never goes in. The same goes for the 11 hours between every two shifts, and for the shifts in the contract, five-day or six-day.

A check before you send the week

1. Every employee has the days off in their contract: two on a five-day week, one on a six-day week.
2. Around each day off, from the end of the previous shift to the start of the next, at least 35 hours pass.
3. Nobody reaches a seventh day in a row, counting from the previous week.
4. If there is a sixth day on a five-day week, the business meets the conditions and the day was declared in advance.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours of rest are needed each week?

At least 24 in a row, to which the 11 hours of daily rest are added: as a rule 35 hours in a row. Where objective or technical reasons justify it, the minimum can be 24 hours.

Is one day off enough for weekly rest?

Not always. If the shift before the day off ends at 23:00 and the next one starts at 06:00, only 31 hours pass, fewer than 35.

Can a business give a sixth day to an employee on a five-day week?

Only if it is a continuous-operation business with rotating shifts, and not a hotel or food-service business. The day is declared in ERGANI II in advance, lasts up to 8 hours and is paid at +40%.

Sources

• Labour Code (Presidential Decree 62/2025), article 173: Weekly rest (in Greek)
• Labour Code, article 171: Daily rest (in Greek)
• Law 5053/2023, article 25: work on the sixth day (in Greek)
• Labour Code, article 194: Pay for extra hours and overtime (in Greek)

This article describes the general rules as they stand on 2 November 2026; it is not legal advice. Collective agreements and special provisions allow exceptions, so for your own case, talk to your accountant or legal adviser.