The Council of Ministers will approve the reduction of working hours under the watchful eye of Junts.

MadridIf nothing changes the plans of the Spanish executive, the reduction of the working day to 37.5 hours a week will come to the second round of the Council of Ministers this Tuesday and will do so under the watchful eye of JuntsThe Spanish government will give the green light to the draft bill, which will now move on to the Congress of Deputies, where, for now, Pedro Sánchez's administration does not have the guaranteed votes of its investiture partners, nor of the opposition. In fact, Carles Puigdemont's party has threatened to overturn the law with a comprehensive amendment, although it remains open to negotiations to try to influence a different text.

This Monday, Junts reiterated its dislike of the current text. Its spokesperson in the Congress of Deputies, Míriam Nogueras, explained that they view the law as a "frontal attack" on small and medium-sized businesses, as well as the self-employed. However, they are open to negotiations with the state government—in fact, there is an internal debate within the party about the comprehensive amendment—although so far they have found "the door closed," said Nogueres.

However, despite the veto announced by Junts, the Spanish Vice President and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, assured this Tuesday that "there is no turning back" on the reduction of the working day that the Spanish government will approve this morning. "Now it is up to the parties to decide whether they listen to the citizens," the minister added in statements to Antena 3. Díaz has shown herself open to negotiating based on "commitment" to Catalan SMEs, she said, but also noted that currently, productivity in the Catalan economy is above the Spanish average and that a 30-hour workweek is 37 hours. She also asked the PP to clarify its position, following the PP's about-face on this matter: "I would like to know which Feijóo I will meet," she emphasized.

Unions and employers' associations

Various business organizations have worked hard to get Carles Puigdemont's party to overturn the text.It should be remembered that the reduction of the working day was approved with theYeahof the unions, CCOO and UGT, but the Spanish employers' association CEOE distanced itself, while the Catalan organizations Foment del Treball and Pimec continue their crusade against the law. "[Junts' amendment to the whole] is a democratic fraud," asserted the leader of CCOO, Unai Sordo, on Monday. Sordo criticized Puigdemont's party for practicing "obstructionism."

From UGT Catalunya, and in a more conciliatory tone, its general secretary, Camil Ros, has stated that "what he is receiving" is that Junts' presentation of the amendment to the whole is "with a will to negotiate." "I hope that the amendment to the whole will be transformed into amendments in the parliamentary process," he added to Ser Catalunya on Tuesday. He also expressed his willingness to return to Waterloo to convince Junts' leader, Carles Puigdemont, to negotiate again.

In any case, Yolanda Díaz already shelved measures such as direct aid to companies to help them adapt to reduced working hours. This, combined with other proposals related to productivity, SMEs, and absenteeism, would serve to bring Junts closer to theYeah, according to various sources consulted by ARA.

At the beginning of February, the Council of Ministers approved the text in the first round and on an urgent basis. The future regulation not only includes a reduction in the working week from 40 to 37.5 hours, but also stipulates that it must be implemented without wage devaluation and before December 31, 2025, something that social stakeholders consider complicated given the current calendar. It also reinforces digital disconnection and time recording.