Chile passes legislation reducing work week to 40 hours from 45

In a bid to improve the quality of life, Chilean lawmakers on Tuesday (April 11) passed a legislation reducing the work week from 45 to 40 hours. The measure was brought in the lower house of Chile's Congress and passed by a 127 to 14 margin, after having been unanimously approved by the Senate a few weeks ago.

The new law mandates starting with one less hour a week of work per year until the work week reaches40 hours. The mandate has been accepted by the service sector as companies such as state-owned copper giant Codelco said they would implement the 40-hour work week by 2026.

Notably, Latin America has some of the longest working weeks in the world. Workers in countries like Mexico, Panama, Peru and Argentina have to work a back-breaking 48 hours a week while people in Brazil have to endure 44 hours. Only the South American nation of Ecuador is the aberration where a 40-hour work week is in place.

Chile’s left-wing President Gabriel Boric hailed the passing of the legislation as a win for his government by terming it a 'pro-family' project.

"Approved #40Hours! After many years adding support and dialogue, today we can finally celebrate the approval of this project that reduces working hours, a pro-family project that aims at the good living of all," tweeted Boric.

It was a much-needed victory for Boric who assumed office last year and since then has suffered several setbacks. The voters rejected his vision of writing the country's constitution while a key tax bill also faceddefeat in Congress.

“This is a project that will contribute enormously to our quality of life. Yes, changes can be made to advance workers’ right," said Labor Minister Jeannette Jara.

Countries mulling to reduce working hours

The passing of the bill comes in the backdrop of several countries around the world debating and experimenting with reducing the weekly work hours.

A study conducted by Boston College and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge last year stated that nine in 10 companies in the UK were willing to extend the four-day workweek policy beyond the initial six-month test period.

One of the most important and interesting key findings of the study was that the productivity of the employees was maintained during the trial period. Additionally, the employees were also less likely to quit their jobs, in view of the satisfactory work-life balance.

(With inputs from agencies)

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