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Spain makes decision, shortens weekly working hours

Spain makes decision, shortens weekly working hours

The Spanish government has approved a bill that would reduce the working week from 40 to 37.5 hours, with the aim of boosting productivity and improving the well-being of workers. The draft now goes to parliament, where Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's team faces the challenge of securing support in the absence of a clear majority.

The Labor Ministry estimates that around 12.5 million private sector workers, whether full-time or part-time, will benefit from the reform. Minister Yolanda Díaz, a representative of the leftist Sumar party, described the measure as a step forward towards modernizing labor relations and increasing citizen satisfaction.

The change has already been implemented for employees in public administration and some state sectors, but the new law will expand it to important areas such as retail, hospitality, construction and manufacturing – sectors that account for a significant share of the workforce. The initiative has met with support from major unions, while it has been met with skepticism from representatives of the business world.

There have been no major changes to the working week since 1983, when the working week was reduced from 48 to 40 hours. The current bill is also supported by the positive results of recent experiments, including a pilot project in Valencia after the pandemic, where a four-day working week was tested. According to the data, employees reported less stress and a healthier lifestyle.

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