As if it were a massive elevator conversation, this Friday in Valencia the weather has been talked about. Not in meteorological terms but in physical terms. And specifically, on which each person dedicates to work each week. The International Summit on the Four-Day Journey discussed the possibilities of implementing this initiative now in the most digitized sectors. The event, organized by the Generalitat and Labora, has brought together a multitude of experts in the field, trade unionists, politicians and businessmen with experience in the matter.
The Vice President of the Government, Yolanda Diazhas been in charge of closing the first day and, although it has been shown strong advocate of the need to reduce working hours weekly without reducing wages, has distanced itself from the “rigid” formula of four days a week advocated by the organization of the congress and a part of the autonomous government of the Valencian Community (Compromís and Podem).
Instead, he has called explore alternative ways such as the establishment of pools of hours in the Nordic style “in which the workers have their time, being able to negotiate it with the company”. “It’s not so much the four-day shift, which is a rigid formulation, but addressing time at work as a whole,” she explained.
Díaz has defended that it is “fundamental” to discuss the binomial time and work and has advanced that the future law on the use of time promoted by the Ministry of Labor that he directs, an “ambitious rule that will turn the world of work upside down”, “will not only reduce working time” but will also address other aspects such as face-to-face , the right to training leave or to travel.
“Working fewer hours is working better“, said a Diaz who has influenced the increase in productivity reported by the reduction in hours and how that employee’s capacity “decreases as the day progresses.”
Offensive against overtime
In that sense, he has denounced that many of these days in Spain are longer than stipulated. Specifically, in the last month more than 6.6 million overtime hours, half unpaid, has assured. Thus, it has advanced that the Ministry of Labor is going to launch an offensive against these practices with the implementation of an algorithm that It will “inspect” overtime and “prosecute” undeclared hours.
Acting as Diaz’s hostess was the vice president of the Consell, Mónica Oltra, who stressed that having an “honest debate” on how to reduce working time is a requirement of society.
Oltra has linked the high workload with mental health problems that are spreading among the population. “And if instead of building hospitals to treat problems, we attack what makes us sick? We work beyond our means,” she emphasized.
The vice-president of the Consell has closed her intervention assuring that the 32-hour day is a measure “deep feminist“ and that connects with other struggles such as “environmental and social justice.”