Bill proposes cutting the workweek to 35 hours

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would reduce the maximum workweek to 35 hours of effective work, instead of the current 40 hours.
2. The break of at least 15 minutes on workdays longer than six hours would count as effective working time.
3. The right to disconnect digitally would be strengthened: workers would not have to answer work messages or calls outside working hours, and exceptional on-call time would be compensated with time off.
4. Work time would be recorded daily through digital means, with exact start and end times, no later tampering allowed, and companies would have to keep the records for four years.
5. The shorter workweek could not reduce pay or remove more favorable rights and conditions workers already have.
6. Collective agreements with workweeks above 35 hours would have six months to adapt, and companies would have three months to adapt their time-recording systems.

Who it affects

• Employees: Their maximum workweek would be capped at 35 hours, with new rights to disconnect and to have their hours recorded.
• Part-time workers: Their hours would range from 20 to 77 percent of the maximum, with continuous schedules and stricter rules on extra hours.
• Companies: They would have to adapt work hours, digital time records, and the rules on irregular schedules and part-time contracts.
• Public sector: Part-time contracts would be exceptional, justified, and limited in time.
• Collective agreements: They would have six months to adjust their workweeks to 35 hours.

Words worth knowing

Convenio colectivo (collective agreement)

A deal between unions and employers setting working conditions for a sector or company.

Horas complementarias (complementary hours)

Extra hours that can be agreed in some part-time contracts.

Distribución irregular de la jornada (irregular distribution of working hours)

Spreading work hours unevenly across the year, with more hours some days and fewer others.

ET (Estatuto de los Trabajadores, Workers' Statute)

Spain's main law on labor rights and duties.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries