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The Second Deputy Prime Minister Plans to Overhaul Hourly Registry Despite Working Day Reduction Stalemate
In a candid chat with La Sexta, Minister Yolanda Díaz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Work and Social Economy, announced her intent to redesign the hourly registry in companies through a Royal Decree, regardless of the progress on shrinking the workweek.
Díaz emphasized that the main resistance against the workweek reduction to 37.5 hours per week stems from it being tied to a bill that strengthens the controls over individual employees' working hours [2][4]. The minister underscored that two rulings from the European Court of Justice urged Spain to redefine the registry to make it "interoperable, verifiable, and truthful" [3][4]. The objective is to ensure accurate tracking of working hours and to incorporate it into Article 35 of the Workers' Statute, which regulates overtime.
Álvaro Caballero, representative of the labor sector, expressed that "workers are well aware of how the hourly registry functions" and pointed out that it's not merely about shortening the work week but also about complying with European justice's directives [3]. "Shouldn't the political factions, regardless of their affiliations, or the Spanish employers' association refrain from disregarding the source of European legislation, which is the European Court of Justice?", the minister inquired.
Díaz also highlighted the CEIO as the primary reason behind the Confederation's opposition to the work week reduction. She reiterated that the hourly tracking holds regulatory weight and thus a Royal Decree is being drafted to alter it and enforce the changes [3].
The Compact Week Ahead
In Díaz's opinion, it's unsettling that the employers' association is advocating for disobedience by suggesting parties should vote against the 37.5 hours bill. Despite this, Díaz displayed confidence that the bill to cut the workweek will pass in Congress.
"The reduction of the work week will become a reality in Spain." She shared her belief that the bill's passage may take some time but is inevitable, "we are working with political factions to make it happen and it will be approved because it impacts 12.5 million workers in our country", Díaz revealed.
Rebooting the Hourly Registry to Eliminate Potential Fraud: "Every Day I Clock In and Out at the Same Time"
When asked if it was feasible to establish a distinct work week in Catalonia to secure Junts' support in Congress, Díaz declared that legally "this is unattainable" [5].
Instead, she discussed the possibility of providing support to specific productive sectors, like the presence of small businesses in the country and Catalonia, which can receive assistance and guidance [5]. Díaz choose to keep the details of the negotiations confidential, but she affirmed that there's room to reach accord with various political factions [5]. Since taking office on January 13, 2020, Díaz admitted that she hasn't enacted any law that didn't face opposition – not even from her own PSOE [5].
- The working hours bill, which aims to reduce the work week to 37.5 hours, is currently facing opposition from Spanish employers due to its ties with a policy that strengthens individual employee controls.
- The Second Deputy Prime Minister, Yolanda Díaz, is planning to issue a Royal Decree to redesign the hourly registry in companies, in compliance with directives from the European Court of Justice, in order to make it interoperable, verifiable, and truthful, addressing concerns about potential fraud and incorporating it into Article 35 of the Workers' Statute that regulates overtime.
