He PIT-CNT has reactivated its demand for the work day in Uruguay is reduced to 40 hours per week. This proposal was presented by the Executive Secretariat from the union center to the future Minister of Labor and Social SecurityJuan Castillo, who has expressed his willingness to analyze the proposal.
However, this initiative has generated suspicion among the sector employerwhich opposes a legislative solution widespread and prefer to continue clinging to the old 48-hour day, which is being debated in the world.
“It is an issue that must be installed,” declared José Lorenzo López, vice president of the PIT-CNT. During his meeting with Castillo, López observed the disparity between the sectors of the public activity and private. He expressed the need to move forward gradualsuggesting the implementation of pilot plans that allow the work day to be standardized without affecting the different parties involved. “It is something that we have already raised with the current government,” López added, referring to an issue that he considers key for the health of the workers.
Cautious analysis of the future minister
Later, Castillo met with the Confederation of Business Chambers and reiterated its willingness to analyze the issue. He highlighted that in other countries, such as Spain, Colombia and Chililaws have been enacted aimed at reducing working hours. In this context, he also mentioned that “the graph that grows the most is that of unemployment in the world.”
Castillo assured that a possible reduction cannot be “decreed”, highlighting that some sectors have already managed to reduce their working hours. 48 to 42 hours weekly in certain cases.
Diego O’Neill, president of the employers’ confederationexpressed his caution regarding the PIT-CNT proposal. Considers that it is not convenient to implement a general solution in Uruguay at present.
However, O’Neill acknowledged that some sectors could be in a position to move towards reduction of working hoursbut emphasized that these discussions should be carried out within the framework of the collective bargaining. He emphasized the diversity of the Uruguayan business fabric, where more than 85% are microbusinesses.
Data on the employment situation in Uruguay
The Pit-Cnt proposal is not new, since last August the possibility of reducing the work week to 40 hours. In the year 2023, the total employees in Uruguay reached 1,211,000, of which 523,000 worked more than 40 hours per week.
From this group, 267,000 employees worked less than 48 hours per week. Further analysis shows that 158,000 They had a performance of 48 hours and 98,000 They exceeded that amount.
The data provided by the National Statistics Institute reveal that the average effective working day in Uruguay during 2023 was 39.6 hours per week. The PIT-CNT suggests that the working hours carried out in the country are of the more extensive at a global level. In its document, it is emphasized that “working time and the length of the working day, together with salary, are among the most important employment conditions for workers.”
Social dialogue on social security
Castillo also stated that it will be vital to convene a meeting space as soon as possible. social dialogue about the social security. This is shown as an essential platform to discuss and resolve labor concerns.
López, from the PIT-CNT, emphasized the need to apply the regulations of collective bargaining more effectively in the public sector to prevent labor disputes from being resolved solely by “informal negotiations.”
Several countries have successfully implemented the 40-hour work day
In several countries, experiments with 40-hour work days have been successful, improving the work performance of employees and their quality of life outside the work environment.
- In Swedenan experiment was carried out in 2015 in the city of Gothenburg, where the working day was reduced to 6 hours a day with the same salary. This project was implemented in a nursing home and other entities, with the objective of evaluating the impact on productivity and job satisfaction. The results showed that the reduction of hours had a positive effect on the productivityas well as in the health and the welfare of the employees. Workers reported lower levels of stress and a better quality of life, leading some companies to begin adopting shorter workday models.
- In New Zealandthe company Perpetual Guardian implemented an experiment in 2018, where employees performed a 4 business days a week, maintaining his salary. During the one-month experiment, an increase in the productivitya decrease in stress levels and an increase in job satisfaction. Workers appreciated the additional time to balance their personal and work lives, indicating that the model was sustainable in the long term. This case has led some other companies to consider implementing a four-day work week.
- Between 2015 and 2019, Iceland carried out one of the most extensive trials on the reduction of the working day, where they experimented with a day of 35 to 36 hours weekly without salary reduction in various institutions. The results showed that productivity remained the same or even increased in most workplaces. Additionally, a significant improvement was seen in work-life balance as well as mental health of the workers. Following the success of the program, many organizations in Iceland have begun to adopt this model or question traditional workday paradigms.
