At the end of September 2024, the current legislature in the Mexican Congress ends and for weeks there has been no talk about resuming discussions to approve the Reduction of the working day from 48 to 40 hours.
Today we will talk about what are the possible scenarios of the Reduction of working hours from 48 to 40 hours facing the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and the next legislature
Will labor reform be given the green light imminently or will it be postponed indefinitely?
What is the labor reform to reduce working hours in Mexico?
Currently, the Federal Labor Law (LFT) establishes a maximum weekly work time of 48 hours, distributed in different schedules. The traditional schedule is to work 8 hours a day for six days a week and have one day off.
The intention of the legislators and businessmen who are in favor of this constitutional reform is, among other things, that the maximum working day is 40 hours a weekwhich according to the most common distribution would be spread over 8 hours for five days, with two days of rest.
This is not necessarily applicable to all cases, much less in the informal sector. Even in the formal commercial sector it could vary depending on the needs of the employer and the type of work schedule you have.
Let us remember that according to the LFT There are three types:
Daytime: From 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., maximum duration of 8 hours.
Night: From 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., maximum duration of 7 hours.
Mixed: Between daytime and nighttime hours, maximum duration of 7 and a half hours.
It is very important to remember that we do not know what the operating rules will be that will be defined in the reform if it is approved and reflected in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF). The previous data should be modified to adapt to the new schemes.
What have the authoritative voices said?
There are mixed opinions in the Mexican market. In this case, the Employers’ Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) of Quintana Roo expressed its support for the reform a few days ago, arguing that it could be viable.
However, on other occasions, such as in the article ’40-hour work week, a challenge for the productivity of SMEs’, published in ‘www.coparmex.org.mx’, the institution has pointed out the importance of maintaining economic variables such as productivity, a direct relationship between working time and final performance.
On the other hand, the article ‘The fallacy of shorter working days’, published on the same website, states that its application without adapting to the financial conditions of the Mexican Republic could trigger a fatal scenario.
“The current proposal, as sent by the initiatives, without studies, without consulting experts, could be disastrous for the true workers and generators of wealth in the country. All companies, but especially micro and small ones, will be the most affected by higher labor costs and a decrease in productivity. In turn, this could lead to job losses and an increase in informality, affecting millions of workers and their families.”
Another authoritative voice that has referred on more than one occasion to the reduction in the labour reform from 48 to 40 hours He is the richest businessman in Mexico Carlos Slim Heluowner of Telmex, Telcel, Sanborns, Inbursa and other companies.
The billionaire has said that he would prefer to adopt a 12-hour work schedule for 3 or 4 days a week, to give people the opportunity to decide whether they want one or two jobs. This, according to his perception, would increase the average income per household and thus lead to better living conditions.
The side that many did not like is that it was also considered prudent to increase the retirement age from 65 to 75 years, increasing the productive years of each person.
40-hour work week, is it a good idea or not?
Now that we have seen what the possible scenarios are, we consider the undeniable pressure from the business sectorwe remember that in the current legislature labor reform has not been an issue for weeks, the most feasible thing is that the proposal will be postponed at least until the arrival of Sheinbaum Pardo.
In the best-case scenario, the debate on the reform to reduce the workday could be resumed in Congress in the next legislative session; in the worst-case scenario, it could take place not until next year.
Let us remember that originally it was a deputy from Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) who launched the proposal for constitutional reform, however, Morena made its own with certain modifications.
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