One of every three collective agreements signed last year in Catalonia contemplated a working day equal to or less than 37.5 hours per week, according to data compiled by the Foment del Treball employer association. This schedule is the one that the Government, by virtue of the agreement between the PSOE and Sumar, wants to incorporate by law to all companies.
Javier Ibars, director of the Labor Relations department at Foment, explained that “what the figures show is that where a reduction in working hours is feasible, it is being done.” And at the same time he added that “there are many companies and sectors where it is not possible to do so.”
Lluís Pérez, president of the Foment labor commission, has highlighted that the proof that reducing working hours is not a central concern of the unions is that it has only been defined in 30% of those signed.
Ibars has expressed the opinion that the debate on working hours cannot be separated from the rest of work organization issues. The representative of the employers made these comments during the presentation of the “Report on the Labor Market and Collective Negotiation” held today in Barcelona.
The work highlights that there are 30 collective agreements signed last year where more than 1,825 hours per year have been agreed upon, which is equivalent to more than 40 hours per week. These agreements are 8.85% of the total.
Business representatives have assured that key indicators, such as registered unemployment, job seekers and affiliation, have been showing a negative trend in recent months, which confirms a slowdown in the labor market. Furthermore, despite employment growth in 2023, they see “some stagnation” in the unemployment rate in the last three quarters of the year. According to Foment, the slowdown in employment “is undeniable.”