Labor and unions are committed to ensuring that Junts and PNV support reducing the working day after the employers’ scare

He rejection of the employer The latest Labor offer on the reduction of working hours in 2025 opens a new political scenario that modifies the negotiation in several elements. Until a few weeks ago, the Ministry’s roadmap was completely focused on achieving the CEOE’s support for the decree.

Those of Yolanda Díaz considered that the support of business representatives for these measures was not only a way to provide stability for the future (the tripartite agreements are, by nature, more stable than bipartites), but it was also practically the only way to guarantee your success in a Congress of Deputies in which a right-wing majority prevails.

In a scenario in which the agreement was signed by the employers’ association, it would not be easy for the PP to vote against it, especially in the case of a measure that enjoys notable support from the citizens. Before the summer holidays, both the Government and the unions were convinced that the support from the CEOE was a condition of possibility to reduce the working day, taking into account parliamentary arithmetic.

The employers’ association announced last week that it would not support the latest proposal from a Ministry of Labor that it has put on the negotiating table. different formulas and incentives to attract businessmen to the agreement. However, expectations have changed.

For months now, the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, has been exploring alternative ways to that of the employers to try to guarantee the parliamentary success of the decree. The Minister of Labor has traveled to Euskadi and Catalonia to meet with the social agents of these territories, and some of them are close to Junts and the PNV, formations whose votes could save the measure.

The position of Junts and the PNV

The Basque nationalists have already advanced that they would be in favor of a reduction in the working day to 37.5 hours weekly in 2025, among other reasons because it is already in force in Euskadi and has been operating for some time in many sectors. However, they have also insisted that it would be positive if the agreement had the support of the employers’ association (something that seems to be far from happening after the employers’ rejection of the latest Labor proposal).

Junts’ position is a major unknown. Díaz met a few months ago with Promotion of Treball and with the Catalan social agents, within the framework of their plan to seek alternative ways to that of the CEOE and the PP. As you have been able to know PublicLabor is currently negotiating with Puigdemont’s party, and, so far, the talks are going well.

In social dialogue, Díaz’s department, CCOO and UGT were going to meet last Monday to begin finalizing the agreement, but the emergency agenda due to the effects of DANA in the Valencian Country forced the suspension of the meetingwhich still does not have a new date on the calendar.

Aid to small businesses, in the air

Before the employers rejected the latest Labor proposal, those from Díaz opened themselves to reward new hires and even to provide direct aid to small businesses to help them transition towards a 37.5-hour work week.

In fact, the Government designed a plan, called SME 375to accompany these small businesses in issues such as the implementation of the means to comply with the new time record (which must be interoperable by the Labor Inspection).

When Díaz’s team launched their latest proposal, they already warned that the employers’ rejection could mean the end of these measures of accompaniment and direct aid for small businesses, since the agreement would ultimately depend on the unions. However, the PNV is in favor of maintaining themand could pressure the Government to include them in the decree in exchange for their support in Congress.

The reduction of the working day to 37.5 hours per week, a star measure of the Ministry of Labor and the coalition Executive as a whole, is entering a new phase with more unknowns than certainties surrounding its approval.