The Popular Participation Movement (MPP) has presented a bill to the senators of the Broad Front with the aim of establishing a limit on the working day. This project will be analyzed by the other legislators before being sent to the Senate Commission on Labor Affairs and Social Security.
The first article of this document, to which the Montevideo Portal had access, establishes the following: “The maximum limit of the daily and weekly work schedule for all workers in the country is set at eight hours a day and forty hours a week, regardless of sector in which they work (industrial, commercial, services, rural, domestic, etc.).
The project clearly states that, in no case, the reduction of the working day will imply a proportional decrease in the current salary.
“Likewise, any hours that exceed the legal or conventional daily working hours will be paid as overtime, in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 15,996, dated November 17, 1988,” the project adds.
The document also proposes gradual changes in labor regimes, with the aim that, by the fourth year after the approval of the law, a 40-hour work week is achieved.
«From the first year of validity of this law, the current 48-hour weekly regime will be reduced to 46 weekly hours. Two years later, the working week will be reduced from 46 to 44 hours. After three years, it will decrease from 44 to 42 hours per week. Finally, from the fourth year of entry into force of this law, the weekly working day will be reduced from 42 to 40 hours,” the bill states.
With this initiative, the Popular Participation Movement (MPP) seeks to establish a more equitable and adequate working day for all workers in the country, with the aim of improving their quality of life and promoting a greater reconciliation between work and personal life. This project will be carefully evaluated by legislators before making a decision on it.
The reduction of the working day: a path towards a better quality of life for workers
The constant search for a balance between work and personal life has led researchers and experts to examine how the reduction of working hours can positively influence the quality of life of workers.
In recent years, various scientific studies have shed light on the benefits of this measure.supporting the idea that working fewer hours can lead to greater satisfaction and well-being in the work and personal spheres.
According to the study The Benefits of Reduced Working Hours on Workers’ Well-being and Productivity (The benefits of reducing working hours on the well-being and productivity of workers), carried out by a team of researchers from Harvard University, examined the effects of a reduction in working hours on quality of life of the employees of a technological company.
The results revealed that the implementation of a four-day work week instead of five had a significant impact on the general well-being of workers. There was an increase in job satisfaction, a decrease in stress and a greater perception of balance between work and personal life. Additionally, despite working fewer hours, employees showed increased productivity and efficiency in time spent at work. These findings support the idea that reducing the working day can be an effective strategy to improve the quality of life of workers.
In another meta-analysis (a study that analyzes a large number of other studies) called The Effects of Reduced Working Hours on Health and Well-being: A Meta-Analysis The Effects of Reduced Work Hours on Health and Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis, conducted by scientists at Stanford University in California, reviewed numerous previous studies on the relationship between reduced work hours and health. and the well-being of workers.
The results revealed that the decrease in working hours was associated with a significant improvement in the physical and mental health of the employees. A reduction in stress levels, the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and chronic fatigue was observed.
In addition, it was found that workers who enjoyed a greater amount of free time due to the reduction in the working day spent more time on activities related to their well-being, such as physical exercise, family time and leisure.
These findings support the idea that working fewer hours can contribute to a better quality of life and promote health and the general welfare of workers.
