
The reduction of the working day is one step closer to becoming a reality in Spain. The Council of Ministers held this Tuesday, February 4, has approved the preliminary draft bill to process this measure as a matter of urgency. The reduction will mean a decrease from the current 40 hours to 37.5 hours per year. In other words, Spanish workers will work half an hour less per day.
The measure promoted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy is the first reduction in the working day in four decades and will apply to all workers in all sectors without any reduction in salary.
In a video published through its profile on X, the Ministry of Labor points out that in addition to the reduction of hours worked, the draft bill also contemplates the “right to disconnection outside your working day“. Likewise, it regulates a salary increase for those who work part-time or with reduced working hours.
However, when will the reduction of the working day come into force? Although as of today there is no specific date that we can mark in red on the calendar, as the approval of the preliminary draft bill has been processed through the urgency procedure, its implementation could take place before next summer.
However, as we saw just a few weeks ago in the case of the “omnibus decree“, what was approved today has to be processed in the Congress of Deputies and is susceptible to modifications as a result of the amendments presented by the different political parties in the Chamber.
Should it go through, the Government’s objective is for the future law to enter into force before December 31, 2025.