The reduction in working hours agreed between the central government and the trade unions, which will bring the weekly maximum to 37.5 hours per week has been one of the salient news of the closing of 2024 and its implementation appears as one of the great challenges of the coming year. In this context, the UGT has dismissed the criticisms made by the Balearic Government to the agreement and trusts that, despite the resistance of the business sector, the progressive reduction of working hours will be complied with.
Last week, the vice-president of the Government and Minister of Economy, Finance and Innovation, Antoni Costa, had said that reducing the working week to 37.5 hours “is not adapted to the productive fabric of the Balearic Islands”, since in the islands tourist services and SMEs represent most of the economic activity. From the representation of the UGT in the islands they do not believe that this implies a problem. “In the Balearic Islands nothing will happen. What must be done is to give quality of life to the workers, to carry out a control of hours and each productive sector will adapt,” said Pedro Campillo Antón, nurse and delegate of the UGT Baleares, to La Voz de Ibiza. The trade unionist has remarked that “it would be good that the adaptation of the working day takes place within a social dialogue, with the participation of employers”.
The way forward
“Unfortunately, the employers have not wanted to participate in this dialogue, so it will be difficult to apply the new measures, but they will be achieved,” added Campillo. In addition, he recalled that there have already been two reductions in working hours, and that it has been possible to apply them. “The Balearic Islands will adapt, both in small businesses and in productive sectors of the community, such as hotels and construction, as happened on previous occasions”. After the announcement of the second vice-president and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, the road to the reduction of the working day involves a stopover in Parliament. Campillo is confident that approval of the law will be achieved as soon as 2025 begins. “Then it will be necessary to bring its application in the different collective agreements,” he explained. According to the document presented last December 20 by Díaz and the union leaders of CC OO, Unai Sordo, and UGT, Pepe Álvarez, “the negotiating committees of the collective agreements (….) will have until December 31, 2025 to make the necessary adaptations to ensure compliance with the provisions.” The UGT considers that the reduction to 37.5 hours a week of work is just one more step towards what they are aiming for: a ceiling of 32 hours. “The countries that work the most are not the most productive, the countries of central and northern Europe are the ones with the highest productivity and the shortest working hours,” said Álvarez after learning of the recent agreement, which he pointed out “is going to have very positive effects on productivity and the economy of our country.” He also said: “We are going to continue working to reach a 32-hour working week, four days a week“, he concluded”.
Against criticism
On the other hand, Campillo has dismissed the criticisms of the Govern by recalling that “the Govern only has competences in relation to its workers, who are already below the established workload limit, since they work 35.5 hours a week”. In this sense, the union leader pointed out: “We are used to the fact that both the employers and sometimes the Government reject the reduction of working hours. The workers’ struggle has never been free, there have always been misgivings”.
