Spain: government paves way for 37.5-hour working week

On 4 February, the Spanish Council of Ministers adopted a draft bill to reduce working hours. It would cut the current 40-hour working week to 37.5 hours without any reduction in pay and the labour ministry hopes that the text will come into force by 31 December 2025 at the latest.
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“This is a historic day,” said Yolanda Diaz, Spain’s labour minister, as she presented the draft legislation. The text is due to be presented to the Council of State and the Economic and Social Council in the coming weeks. It will then be examined by the parliamentary groups and voted on by the house before becoming a bill. The timetable is tight, because the labour minister calculates that, if approved, the text could be published in Spain’s official bulletin (BOE) before the summer of 2025, i

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