ValenciaThe Mayor of Valencia, Joan Ribó, has proposed developing in the city a pilot project of the working day of four days a week that will allow to carry out “a rigorous study, with conclusions that will serve to elaborate a report of European scope and to assess the impact of its application and the consequences for productivity, but also for leisure, mobility, the economy and human health ”. “This is an experience that must be preceded by a great social agreement”, and therefore “we want to open a process of dialogue, together with the Generalitat, with social agents, neighborhood organizations and institutions”, he said. added Ribó during his speech at the 1st International Summit on Reducing Working Time and the Four-Day Working Day to be held this Friday and Saturday in Valencia with the participation of representatives from 30 countries.
“We are convinced that happy people are more efficient at work and that by applying to productive systems some concepts that serve as the basis for the economy of the common good such as trust, cooperation and solidarity we can move forward as a society in a sustainable way.” , also defended the leader of Commitment, who detailed that the pilot program could last one month.
Ribó’s proposal comes just days after the Valencian government announced the future approval of an aid program to encourage companies to shorten the working day from 40 hours a week to 32. The plan, which the executive chaired by Ximo Puig plans to approve at the end of June with a budget of 1.5 million euros, will offer companies more than 9,000 euros for each employee who joins the initiative. However, they will have to close a previous agreement with the unions and a plan to improve productivity, for which the companies will have the advice of the administration. In addition, companies will be able to choose whether to reduce the working day to four days or to keep it at five, working fewer hours each day. If all these requirements are met, they will receive 5,492 euros for each worker in the first year, 2,746 in the second and 1,373 in the third.