A total of 41 companies, employing 503 workers, made a request. ministry of industry Join the pilot program to implement the four-day work week, as EL PERIÓDICO DE CATALUNYA from the Prensa Ibérica group learned. The government has a fund 10 million euros budget to allocate grants 200.000 € per applicant company and since the aid requested is 2.8 million euros, it will not consume it. In other words, it will consume at most 28% of the budget.
The applicant companies employ 503 employees and Catalonia has the autonomy figures with the largest number of participants in the pilot. 41 applications from industrial SMEs come from 13 autonomous communities: Catalonia (11), Andalusia (6), Galicia (4), Basque Country (4), Principality of Asturias (3), Comunidad Foral de Navarra (3), Canary Islands ( 3), Community of Madrid (2), Cantabria (1), Castilla y León (1), Castilla La Mancha (1), Extremadura (1), Balearic Islands (1).
The companies that could apply were SMEs from the industrial sector or related consulting firms and their commitment was at least less than 10% of the day ordinary workforce without any reduction in the salary of some of its staff. They had to submit a petition before applying. viability planFor many, it involved hiring a counselor. Requiring an initial investment not knowing if they would get help has pushed multiple companies back, among others. According to the Ministry of Industry, 165 samples received interest last month, and only a quarter of them were finally realized.
This pilot has its origins in Más País’ 2021 General Budget negotiations, in which the Government agreed to support the accounts, including a fund to test a pilot for companies to test the four-day week.
The Ministry of Industry now has to examine and weigh these 41 applications through competitive competition and distribute the requested 2.8m euros in aid. What will give these 41 companies – if they all meet the requirements – access to the first pilot program to test the feasibility of the 32-hour workday (or similar)? Thus, Spain is following in the footsteps of other neighboring states such as the United Kingdom, which has recently started its own pilots at reduced hours.
From now on, the maximum time five months That the Ministry of Industry resolves and notifies companies selected for subsidy granting through the Industrial Enterprise School (EOI). In other words, the companies that started the pilot implementation will start towards the end of the year. graphic arts company in catalonia PublisherOne of the pioneers in applying for the 32 hour weekly pilot program, he approved his participation in the public program for EL PERIÓDICO.
“This first pilot program shows that companies are open to new ways of regulating working hours by reducing working hours and improving outcomes without affecting wages: everybody wins, SMEs and workers”, the Minister of Industry valued, Hector Gomez, this is a statement. Although the allocation of funds will take place at his command, the former minister was most recently responsible for the preparation of the pilot. maroto kingstoday a PSOE candidate for mayor of Madrid.
How will the industry decide who participates and who does not?
The foundations of the call, released by the Ministry of Industry a month ago, establishes a set of criteria that will determine which companies will participate in the pilot and which will be left out. The public program requires a mix between the economic viability of the company and the expected impact on the quality of life of the workforce. However, although there are fewer companies applying than the budget allocated for them, if 41 companies fulfill the basic formalities, they will all join the pilot.
The applicant companies had to submit a study of what measures they planned to take earlier. sustainableThe fact that, beyond public assistance, all or some of the workforce earns the same money but works fewer hours. And after two years the public subsidy will end, but companies agree to continue to implement the reduction in working hours without a reduction in salary. And they should be eligible for that, what if to improve them? productivity. Something that potentially repulses some of the companies interested.
Companies that must seek the services of a consultant to monitor a range of indicators must also present a plan that demonstrates how to improve the reconciliation of their employees’ personal and work lives. discontinuity And stress Each institution has submitted its own planning, and it may not be possible for all employees on the staff to see their working hours decrease. The lower they rate, the more points they have to score to get public support.