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Original article: “Pago con fichas para promover el empleo”: diputado Cuello apunta a precarización laboral y ministro de Economía responde con ataque anticomunista

Controversy Over Hourly Contracts: Deputy Cuello Warns of Labor Precarization While Economy Minister Responds with Anti-Communist Rhetoric

Deputy Luis Cuello (PC) raised concerns regarding a parliamentary motion aimed at reviving the government of José Antonio Kast and endorsing hourly contracts, stating it could lead to labor precarization. In response, Economy Minister, Development, Tourism and Mining, Daniel Mas, launched an anti-communist attack.

«Upcoming Government Bill: Payment in Tokens to Promote Employment», the parliamentarian announced in a message shared on his X social media account.

Cuello referred to an initiative that is not new and was first introduced in 2018 by former senators Andrés Allamand, Rodrigo Galilea, José García Ruminot, Rafael Prohens (all from RN), and Kenneth Pugh (independent). The Kast administration now seeks to sponsor it and submit it to the Senate Labor Commission for review this Wednesday, arguing it would provide greater flexibility to the labor market. This comes after the unemployment rate in Chile rose to 9.1% during the February-April 2026 quarter, a 0.3 percentage point increase year-on-year, marking its highest level since June 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The central proposal is to incorporate a new part-time work modality into the country’s labor system: the hourly contract, which would allow service agreements for up to a maximum of 120 hours per month, equivalent to 30 hours per week.

However, the specifics of the initiative have raised alarms within labor sectors and the opposition. Hourly contracts can be indefinite, fixed, or project-based, and the parties would freely agree on the notice period for attending work, with a minimum limit of 24 hours. This means that an employer could notify a worker with just one day’s notice to work a shift, lacking the stability provided by a monthly contract.

For Deputy Cuello, this system is nothing more than a gateway to precarization, where uncertainty replaces rights and a worker’s life planning is dependent on the changing needs of the employer.

In response to these criticisms, Minister Mas opted for a strong retort, labeling any attempts to question the measure as inherently «anti-communist».

«Comparing hourly work to ‘payment in tokens’ is not a criticism; it is a historical falsehood. The tokens restricted freedom; hourly employment expands it,» stated the Secretary of State.

«Less slogans and more arguments,» he emphasized, attempting to downplay the concerns raised about the implications of hourly hiring.

La entrada Controversy Over Hourly Contracts: Deputy Cuello Warns of Labor Precarization While Economy Minister Responds with Anti-Communist Rhetoric se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.