Overview

• Spain’s draft law seeks to reduce the statutory workweek to 37.5 hours from 40 in 2025, maintaining full pay and mandating the change for public and private employers.
• Junts per Catalunya submitted a total veto amendment that has won backing from PP, Vox and key business associations, complicating the bill’s path to approval.
• Sectors unable to adopt the shorter workweek due to operational constraints will remain on 40-hour schedules but receive 12 extra paid leave days annually.
• The reform includes provisions for significant economic sanctions against any company that fails to implement the new hours once the law takes effect.
• Minister Yolanda Díaz promotes the change as part of a broader social agenda to boost work-life balance and address labor precarity, though small businesses warn of higher wage costs and potential consumer price hikes.