US EditionSpain's parliament kills shorter work week bill in blow to government
The bill to reduce the work week was defeated by a 178-170 vote amid opposition from regional and conservative parties, impacting over 12 million private sector workers, officials said.
- On September 10, lawmakers rejected Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s proposal to shorten the standard workweek from 40 hours to 37.5 hours.
- The legislation put forward by Yolanda Diaz, the Labour Minister affiliated with the left-wing Sumar coalition, encountered resistance from critics who believed it would increase costs and damage the nation's economic competitiveness.
- The legislation mainly targeted private-sector employees in agriculture, retail, and restaurants, and was supported by major unions UGT and COOO but opposed by employer federations and Catalan nationalists.
- The bill was rejected by 178 deputies to 170, hours after Sanchez's wife denied misusing public funds amid an embezzlement probe rattling the government.
- This defeat marks a significant setback for Sanchez's leftist minority government, reflecting broader struggles to pass reforms before the next general election scheduled for late 2026.
22 Articles
22 Articles
The Spanish Congress of Deputies rejected the bill to reduce weekly working hours from 40 to 37,5 hours on equal pay. The People's Party, Vox and the Catalan Independenceist Junts opposed the measure. The three parties rejected the bill by 178 votes against 170 in favour of the measure. The vote followed a heated debate in the classroom where the vice-premier second and minister of Labour Yolanda Diaz, who promoted the measure, accused Carles Pu…
Spanish Parliament Rejects Bill to Shorten Working Week
Spain’s lower house of parliament has rejected a bill that would have shortened the working week, delivering a setback to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist-led minority government as it struggles to push through promised reforms. In a late vote on Sept. 10, opposition parties joined with Catalonia’s pro-independence Junts to block the bill from advancing to debate. The measure, championed by Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz and backed by Spai…
Spain's parliament kills shorter work week bill in blow to government
Spain's lower house has shelved a bill that would have shortened the work week by 2-1/2 hours, dealing yet another blow to the fragile Socialist-led minority government which is struggling to pass the reforms it had pledged through a fragmented parliament.
The Spanish Parliament rejected a bill to reduce weekly working time, a setback for the socialist government of Pedro Sánchez Spanish MEPs rejected
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- 36% of the sources lean Left, 36% of the sources lean Right
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