The Ministry of Labor is making significant efforts to reach an agreement with unions and employers to shorten the working day before the arrival of summer. Yolanda Díaz, the second vice president and minister of the branch, has set a deadline of summer vacations to achieve an agreement that would reduce the maximum working day from 40 hours to 37.5 hours by 2025, with a preliminary reduction to 38.5 hours this year.

Negotiations for the reduction of working hours are currently underway between the Ministry of Labor, unions, and employers through social dialogue. However, these three-way talks have been at a standstill for the past two months as employers and worker representatives negotiate technical details at a separate table.

Díaz considers this negotiation table to be “undoubtedly the most important of this legislature.” She emphasized the need to make rapid progress in the coming months to secure an agreement before summer. While Díaz prefers a three-way pact, she is also open to an agreement solely with the unions, similar to those that have resulted in increases in the minimum wage or the second part of the pension reform.

According to Díaz, this measure is highly valued by citizens, regardless of their political affiliation. She sees it as a way to distribute productivity between workers and employers. Ultimately, the goal is to amend article 34 of the Workers’ Statute, which currently establishes a maximum working day of 40 hours on average throughout the year.

A crucial aspect under discussion is the introduction of flexible elements to reduce the working day. The current regulations stipulate that the 40-hour requirement is an average calculated annually. This means that not all weeks need to amount to 40 hours; the important factor is that the average for the year is less than this figure. One possibility is for companies to implement a reduction in working hours by offering additional days off, though this approach is not favored by unions.

The unions believe that reducing the working day to 38.5 hours in 2024 will have minimal impact on most agreements, as many already have shorter working hours established. However, setting the legal limit at 37.5 hours by 2025 could benefit approximately 13 million workers, according to CCOO estimates.