{"id":1438,"date":"2025-02-15T21:44:30","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T20:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/?p=1438"},"modified":"2025-02-15T22:16:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T21:16:14","slug":"barcelona-yolanda-diaz-calls-for-political-support-on-workweek-reduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/2025\/02\/15\/barcelona-yolanda-diaz-calls-for-political-support-on-workweek-reduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Barcelona: Yolanda D\u00edaz Calls for Political Support on Workweek Reduction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reading Time: 3 minutes<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barcelona, February 15, 2025 (OLA NEWS) \u2013<\/em> Spain\u2019s Vice President and Minister of Labor, Yolanda D\u00edaz, urged the opposition People’s Party (PP) to support the reduction of the workweek from 40 to 37.5 hours, stating that this reform brings “hope” in a global context marked by “fear.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the “Work Less, Live Better”<\/em> event in Viladecans, near Barcelona, organized by Sumar and Comuns, D\u00edaz emphasized that this initiative could be transformative for workers across Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accompanied by Minister of Culture and Sumar spokesperson Ernest Urtasun, as well as Comuns parliamentary spokesperson Aina Vidal, D\u00edaz insisted that the government is moving forward on this issue largely due to Sumar\u2019s persistence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She called on the 137 PP deputies not to “make workers suffer” by opposing the measure, reminding them of their past resistance to labor reforms. “Will they turn their backs on one of the most important modernization processes in our country? Will they make workers suffer? Politics is not about that,”<\/em> she stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Reform to Improve Work-Life Balance and Productivity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The proposed workweek reduction, aimed at enhancing workers\u2019 well-being by reducing stress and increasing productivity, was approved by the Council of Ministers earlier this month. However, it still requires ratification by the Spanish Congress, where PP\u2019s backing could be decisive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u00edaz emphasized that cutting working hours is a “powerful measure”<\/em> that offers hope in a time of economic and social uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun also spoke at the event, arguing that reducing the workweek is essential to modernizing Spain\u2019s labor market and aligning the country with European standards for working conditions. He stressed that this initiative would contribute to a more equitable distribution of labor and wealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Barcelona, \u200b\u200bSpain. February 15, 2025: The Vice President and Minister of Labor of Spain, Yolanda D\u00edaz, accompanied by the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, the coordinator of Catalunya en Com\u00fa (left-wing party), Candela L\u00f3pez and union representatives, chaired the event “Work less, live better”, in which she defended the reduction of the working hours in Spain (from 40 to 37.5 hours per week), since this action “allows working people to gain rights and look to the future with hope,” she said. OLA NEWS \/ SIPA PRESS<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Support from Unions, Concerns from Businesses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The major labor unions, Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and Uni\u00f3n General de Trabajadores (UGT), have strongly backed the reform, calling it a significant step forward for workers\u2019 rights. They also urged political parties to support the measure, highlighting its potential benefits for mental health and employee well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, business groups and employers\u2019 organizations have raised concerns, warning that a shorter workweek could increase costs, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. Some have called for a gradual implementation to allow companies time to adjust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government Determined to Move Forward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite these concerns, the Spanish government remains committed to the reform, arguing that the long-term benefits for society and the economy outweigh any potential short-term challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u00edaz concluded by stating that “working less to live better”<\/em> should be a collective goal in building a fairer and more prosperous future for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporting and picture by Luis Felipe Castilleja, Ola News Barcelona; editing by Alexandre Minguez.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reading Time: 3 minutes Barcelona, February 15, 2025 (OLA NEWS) \u2013 Spain\u2019s Vice President and Minister of Labor, Yolanda D\u00edaz, urged the opposition People’s Party (PP) to support the reduction of the workweek from 40 to 37.5 hours, stating that this reform brings “hope” in a global context marked by “fear.” Speaking at the “Work Less, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[30],"class_list":["post-1438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-spanish-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1438"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1443,"href":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1438\/revisions\/1443"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.olanews.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}