The Valencian Generalitat intends to implement the 35-hour week on January 1, 2027

ValenciaThe Generalitat Valenciana intends to implement the 35-hour weekly working day for its employees on January 1, 2027. This was announced this Friday by the Minister of Economy, Finance and Public Administration, José Antonio Rovira, at the meeting of the General Negotiating Table for autonomous civil servants, statutory personnel, and workers.

The announcement comes just as the Spanish government has begun to apply the same measure to employees of the general administration of the State. If implemented, it would mean compliance, one year later than planned, with the legislative pact signed by the Generalitat and the unions CSIF, UGT, and CCOO in April 2024, which provided for a reduction to 35 weekly hours for this 2026. Now, 24 months after the agreement, and once the main effects of the 'dana' of October 2024 are beginning to be overcome, the Valencian government sets a date for the implementation of the initiative. It does so with an eye on the electoral calendar, which foresees the holding of regional elections for next May.

Once the announcement is made, the Generalitat and the unions will begin negotiations in the sectoral tables of Health, Education, Justice, and Public Function. Despite the pressure of setting a date, especially when it is five months before citizens go to the polls, the Ministry of Finance has emphasized that any step taken will be "based on budgetary viability and resource availability." In this regard, they have detailed that the department has been working for months to determine the cost of implementing the 35-hour weekly working day, a figure that, however, they have refused to make public. What they have not failed to highlight is that the Generalitat's staff has gone from 135,016 positions in 2021 to 160,198 in 2025, which represents an increase of 25,154 employees, or 18.63%. They have also emphasized that the salaries of these employees account for 31% of the total budget of the autonomous administration.

Another circumstance that the Generalitat has made an effort to recall are its financial limitations due to the already historic underfunding and a treasury weakened by the spending rule established by the State and the European Union, which sets the following limits on spending growth: 3.5% in 2026; 3.4% in 2027; and 3.2% in 2028.

Contained satisfaction of the unions

The announcement has partially satisfied the unions, who have demanded that the implementation of the 35-hour week on January 1, 2027, be effective and include no further delays. "We value this agreement as a necessary step, but we warn that it is still a general commitment that will have to be specified in each sectoral table," CCOO highlighted in a statement.

In this regard, the workers' representatives have argued that the implementation of the 35-hour week cannot be subject to "indeterminate conditions and not investing budgetarily" to improve the functioning of the administration. The union also acknowledged that it fears that the Generalitat's preparation of a favorable economic report prior to the reduction in hours could become "an excuse" that the PP and Vox use at the last minute "to postpone or empty the agreement of content." CCOO has argued that the reduction of the working day is a necessary measure to "improve the quality of public services, promote work-life balance, and guarantee decent working conditions."