Spanish election may bring 35-hour week

This month's general election in Spain could lead to the introduction of a 35-hour week if an electoral alliance of the socialists (PSOE) and the united left (IU) win a majority. Introducing a 35-hour week was one of the key points in a joint electoral programme adopted by the PSOE and IU (which includes the communist party) on 2 February. The programme states that, if elected, the parties would "adopt legal measures and rules to achieve a reduction of working time to 35 hours with the aim of creating jobs and in the framework of broader agreement between employers and unions".

PSOE leader Joaqu¡n Almunia told El Pais newspaper that the reduction in working time should be negotiated between unions and employers but that there should be a legal mechanism to give incentives for agreements on the issue and to ensure that the 35-hour week is achieved.

The proposal is similar to that implemented by the socialist government in France, which also introduced the 35-hour week in line with an electoral pledge in 1997. In the run-up to the election on 12 March

opinion polls put support for the PSOE and IU neck and neck with that for the current centre-right government of the PP.