The reduction of the working day, on the verge of the Congress of Deputies

MadridIn the midst of the crisis between the PSOE and Sumar over the contract for 15 million bullets, finally rescinded, of the Ministry of the Interior with an Israeli company, the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, has announced that next week's Council of Ministers will approve in a second round the draft bill reducing the working week to 37.5 hours per week. The date is also significant, or at least symbolic, because it will be approved just before May Day.

Next Tuesday's approval drags on weeks of delay and is decisive for the law to make it to the Congress of Deputies. Once the draft bill reaches the Chamber, the back-and-forth with the political parties will begin. For now, the Spanish government does not have the votes of all its investiture partners. For example, parties such as Junts have already made it clear that they do not like the text on the table, and although they have opened the door to negotiating amendments, Various business organizations are doing their part to ensure that Carles Puigdemont's party overturns the text.It should be remembered that the reduction of the working day was approved with the Yeah The unions, CCOO and UGT, but the CEOE employers' association distanced itself from the bill. In fact, the unions have linked the delay in approval in the second round to possible talks with the parties in Congress, particularly with Junts, so that when the law enters the Spanish Lower House, negotiations are on track.

Possible amendments?

This is important because, once the bill begins to be processed, the debate on the entire bill in Congress will be the Spanish government's first scrutiny. If this debate is successful and, therefore, a majority allows its processing, the draft bill will be registered with the Labor Committee, where political parties will be able to present amendments. This will be the moment when the current text can be modified. If the Spanish government manages to break a deadlock, the reduction of the working day will be voted on in the plenary session of Congress and then in the Senate.

Díaz has shelved measures such as direct aid to companies to help them adapt to the reduction of working hours. This, coupled with other proposals related to productivity, SMEs, and absenteeism, would serve to bring Junts closer to the Yeah, according to various sources consulted by ARA.

In early February, the Council of Ministers approved the text in the first round and through urgent proceedings. However, 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.