Spain moves to cut working week to 37.5 hours

Spain has taken the first step towards reducing the working week to 37.5 hours, with the cabinet approving a draft law on the measure on Tuesday. 

The proposal will now have to be negotiated with other parties, as Pedro Sánchez's minority government does not yet have enough support to in Congress to make it law. 

Pilar Alegría, government spokesperson, hailed a "historic commitment" to workers. 

"It consolidates and improves rights," she said, accompanied by the labor minister Yolanda Díaz and economy minister Carlos Cuerpo, who have been at odds lately over the way in which the proposal should be applied. 

"Today is a historic day," Díaz said, recalling that the working day has not been modified for decades. 

"The reduction in working hours will serve to improve productivity in our country. It is not just about 'putting in hours' at work – an outdated way of managing human resources. It is about being efficient at work, and it has been proven that after a certain period of time at work, not only does productivity not grow, but it falls," she argued.  

The agreement on working hours approved by the cabinet on Tuesday was reached in December between Díaz and the leaders of the CCOO and UGT unions, Unai Sordo and Pepe Álvarez. 

A deadline of December 31, 2025, was set for sectors to adapt to the new timetable. 

The agreement will benefit more than two million workers in Catalonia who currently work more than 37.5 hours.  

The pact, however, was agreed without the support of employers' associations, who withdrew from the negotiations after eleven months of talks. 

They argued the issue should be negotiated in the collective agreements that set the working conditions for each sector, rather than changing the law.