El Ciudadano
Original article: Jornada laboral podría llegar a 52 horas semanales: Las polémicas propuestas de la Mesa de Reactivación convocada por el Gobierno
The revelation of the report from the Labor Reactivation Table convened by the Government has sparked controversy and diverse reactions, led by economist David Bravo through the Ministry of Labor.
The initiative was introduced as an «independent technical body» aimed at proposing measures to address the current unemployment crisis. Ultimately, it produced a document featuring 22 recommendations, one of which centers on the weekly working hours for employees.
According to the Table, the existing calculation period for averaging work hours, set at 4 weeks, positions Chile as one of the most restrictive countries in the OECD. Hence, they propose to «drastically extend» the reference period for calculating the ordinary 40-hour workweek from the current 4 weeks to 15 weeks (the OECD average) or even up to 52 weeks, equivalent to a full year.
Experts assert that this change would allow for significant variability in working hours throughout the year: employees could have periods with shorter shifts to compensate for times of high productive demand, where they might work up to an absolute maximum of 52 hours per week, combining both regular and overtime hours, as reported by various national media.
In other words, the proposed adjustment in calculations—suggest specialists called by the Government—would enable reaching a weekly cap of 52 hours «during peak demand periods.»
Another contentious issue is the proposal to gradually assess the elimination of the Severance Pay for Years of Service (IAS), to be replaced by an «all-event model.»
The idea of legally strengthening multifunctional labor and eliminating certain barriers, such as mandatory professional licenses under the Transportation Application Companies Law, also drew criticism.
Five Key Areas
The 22 proposals presented by the Table convened by Kast are grouped into five key areas: increasing female employment considering caregiving roles; employment subsidies, youth support, and formality; labor training and continuous skill development systems; labor regulations impacting employment; and labor market information matters.
In addition to David Bravo, the Table included contributions from María José Zaldívar, Alejandro Micco, Cecilia Cifuentes, Claudia Martínez, María Pérez, Ricardo Ruiz de Viñaspre, María José Abud, and Benjamín Villena-Roldán.
Check the full report HERE
We will continue to provide updates.
La entrada Labor Reform Proposal: Workweeks Could Extend to 52 Hours as Controversial Measures Emerge from Government’s Labor Reactivation Table se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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