The Spanish government has decided to reduce the working week for 2.5 hours, up to 37.5 hours without a reduction in salaries. This was reported by Reuters. During his last session, the Spanish government approved the reduction of working hours, 7.5 a day. The initiative was developed by Minister of Labor Yolanda Diaz. However, this measure still requires the approval of the parliament, where the ruling Socialist Party has no majority.
Minister of Economy Carlos Kuber also acknowledged that voting for the idea will not be "easy", but he is already in the negotiations. Employees and trade unions support the initiative, but the associations of employers oppose it, saying that it will increase business costs and reduce the competitiveness of companies.
Negotiations with business representatives came to a deadlock in November, when employers claimed that the day of the working week should be regulated by collective agreements, not by law.
The reduced week's experience is already applied to other countries. For example, from last fall, more than half of the workers in Iceland passed a four-day week without a salary reduction. Experience has shown that it not only did not reduce the productivity, but also really contributed to economic growth.
