The forums on the reform to the Federal Labor Law in working hours matters begins next Thursday. These forums seek to reduce the work week from 48 to 40 hours; nevertheless, the positions of the employers ‘and the unions’ sectors are still widely different; on the one hand the country’s most largely represented union federation is leaning toward “no to gradualness” and, on the other, employers are proposing to maintain gradualness and implementing the reform in 2030.
According to the proposal by the Department of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS), the first meeting will be held at the Mexico City Museum with the participation of the government, workers, business, and academic sectors and international bodies.
Francisco Cervantes of the Business Coordinating Council (CCE); Ana María Aguilar of the Mexican Business Council (CMN) will be present on behalf of the employers; Carlos Aceves del Olmo will be present on behalf of the workers ‘sector; Pedro Américo Furtado for the International Labor Organization (ILO) and Jorge Mario Martínez-Piva for the ECLAC – Mexico Office.
According to the sources that were consulted, by next Wednesday, the CTM [Confederation of Mexican Workers] will conclude the internal meetings that will allow them to establish a unified position in face of the discussion that will take place throughout the country.
To start with, one of the agreements that they will reach is that of “no to gradualness”, and each sector and industry or region with union representation will define its own proposals; in the food sector, for example, there are leaders that are already working on their own proposal.
Some of the issues being defined in the CTM indicate, for example: a reduction of the weekly labor hours to 40 hours while maintaining the payment of 56 hours with mandatory rest on Saturdays and Sundays. Working on the weekend will only be possible in exceptional cases and always with express approval by the worker. Work on Saturday or Sunday will be paid as days of rest in accordance with the provisions of the LFT and it is forbidden to require or force workers to work on weekends.
