Last week, the Senate approved with modifications the bill to reduce the working week to 40 hours. The bill will now pass to the Chamber of Deputies, which will decide on the changes.
So far, the bill provides for the following changes to labour legislation:
1. Ordinary working hours will be reduced to 40 hours per week, which will be gradually reduced from the publication of the law (the first year 44 hours; the third year 42 hours; in the fifth year 40 hours).
2. The employer and the worker may agree on a monthly distribution of the working day (increasing or decreasing it weekly), maintaining a weekly average of 40 hours, and without the ordinary working day exceeding 45 hours per week.
3. The employer and the worker may agree in writing that overtime shall be compensated by up to five additional days of legal holiday.
4. The type of work that is excluded from the limitation of working hours is restricted and the Labour Inspectorate is empowered to determine whether or not a worker’s work is subject to the exclusion from the limitation of working hours.
5. Mothers and fathers of children up to 12 years of age and those who have their personal care shall be entitled to a band of two hours in total, within which they may anticipate or delay the commencement of their work by up to one hour. Unless it is incompatible with the timetable with the nature of their work.
