Spanish unions push for cut in hours

Europe

Spain’s two main union confederations, CCOO and the UGT, are maintaining their pressure for a statutory cut in weekly working time from the current 40 hours a week to 37.5.

Arguing that “negotiations to reduce the legal length of working time are blocked” and are going round in circles, the unions organised protests in front of the regional headquarters of employers’ organisations on 26 September.

The government has already promised that working time will be cut to 37.5 hours a week from 2025 but has sought to agree the mechanism for doing so through national negotiations between the government, the two union confederations and the employers’ associations. Average actual full-time working hours in Spain were 37.8 a week in 2023 .

Talks have been going on for months, with little sign of progress, despite government offers to provide financial help to the smallest employers.

The latest union action is an attempt to bring additional pressure to bear on the talks.