But, should they win their ongoing battle to have a 35-hour work week reinstated they would then be among those who work the fewest hours in the EU.
Longer work weeks for civil servants were one of the first austerity measures imposed by the bailout Troika, along with salary cuts.
It is in Ireland where civil servants work the shortest week, while at the opposite end of the spectrum, alongside Portugal, are countries including Greece, Hungary, Poland and Romania.