Mexico takes another step towards a 40-hour week
On May 1st, the Mexican government relaunched for the umpteenth time the project to reduce the working week from 48 to 40 hours by 2030. A reform aborted under the mandate of Andrés Manuel López Obrador that Claudia Sheinbaum is now putting back on the table despite reluctance, particularly from employers.
“We don’t want to live to work!” read the placards at the May Day march in Mexico City’s Zócalo Square.
Echoing this demand, the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum took advantage of International Workers' Day to announce a reform that has seen several failures in the country: the gradual reduction of working hours to forty hours per week by 2030, reports Milenio .
Currently, federal labor law sets the legal working week at 48 hours spread over six days, with at least one day of rest. However, in practice, many Mexicans exceed these limits, sometimes working up to 56 hours a week, placing Mexico among the countries with the most hours worked in the world.
During a lunch with unions, Mexican Labor Minister Marath Baruch Bolaños López clarified that this measure will be implemented in stages, through "a series of agreements" that will be established after discussions between various stakeholders in Mexican society.
These round tables, supervised by the Ministry of Labor, will take place from June 2 to July 7.
Courrier International
