Spain could become one of the first countries in the world to hear the four-day working week after the government agreed to launch a modest pilot project for companies interested in the idea.
Earlier this year, the small left-wing Spanish party Más País announced that the government has accepted its proposal to test the idea. Talks have been held in the meantime, and the next meeting is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
“With the four-day work week (32 hours), we begin the real debate of our time,” said Iñigo Errejón of Más País. on Twitter. “It’s an idea whose time has come.”
From New Zealand to Germany, the idea is gradually gaining traction worldwide. The proposal is hailed by its proponents as a way to increase productivity, improve the mental health of employees and fight climate change, as the pandemic exacerbates problems around well-being, burnout and work-life balance.
Left-wing parties in Spain – where a 44-day strike in Barcelona in 1919 led to the country becoming one of the first in Western Europe to adopt the eight-hour working day – embraced the idea. ‘Spain is one of the countries where workers take more hours than the European average. But we are not one of the most productive countries, ”said Errejón. “I maintain that working more hours does not mean working better.”
Although the exact details of the launch will be announced to the government, his party has proposed a three-year € 50 million project that will allow businesses to test fewer hours with minimal risks. For example, the cost of a business’s maturity in the four-day work week can be covered 100% in the first year, 50% in the second year and 33% in the third year.
“With these figures, we calculate that we can get about 200 companies to participate, with a total of between 3,000 and 6,000 employees,” said Héctor Tejero of Más País. “The only red line is that we want to see a real reduction in working hours and not lose any salary or jobs.”
Tejero estimated that the pilot could already get under way in the autumn and launch the first national initiative to reduce working hours since France began limiting the working week to 35 hours in 1998. “Spain will be the first country to hold a trial of this magnitude,” Tejero said. “A pilot project like this has not been undertaken anywhere in the world.”
The party suggested that the pilot be led by a panel of experts – including government representatives, trade unions and business lobbyists – who would also help analyze the results.
What Más País hopes to see is a version of the experience of Software Delsol, the southern Spanish firm that became the first in the country last year to implement a four-day workday. “They have seen a decrease in absenteeism, productivity has risen and workers say they are happier,” Tejero said.
A source from the Spanish ministry said talks on the pilot project were in their first phase. At this stage, everything can be discussed, from the cost of the launch to the number of companies involved and the timeline, she added.
The idea was encountered in some circles, with one of the leaders of the country’s main business associations calling it ‘madness’ after the worst recession in the country since the civil war. “Getting out of this crisis requires more work, not less,” Ricardo Mur of CEOE said at a forum in December.
As Spain moves forward with the new pilot, its progress in the UK and around the world is being closely monitored. “My understanding is that this would be the first national pilot of the four-day week,” said Joe Ryle of the 4-day-week campaign. “We call on governments around the world to follow the Spanish example to pave the way for the four-day working week.”
He described a reduction in working hours as long overdue. “Clearly, the way we work causes people to stress, burn out, work overtime and cause major problems in the workplace and mental health,” he said. ‘The four-day week will be good for the economy, good for workers and good for the environment. What do you not like about it? ”