The Spanish Employers’ Association for manufacturers and distributors faced sharp critique as the push to reduce the workweek to 37.5 hours became a focal point of the coalition agreement between the Socialist Party and Sumar. At its 38th Congress in Zaragoza, drawing together about 1,200 sector executives, the plan drew strong opposition. Javier Campo, president of Aecoc, warned that shrinking the workweek could undermine the already fragile productivity of the Spanish economy, calling it a widespread problem that threatens economic performance.
Campo noted that Spain’s productivity trails the eurozone by roughly a quarter, describing the current trajectory as increasingly difficult to sustain. He warned that the policy path could erode the competitiveness of the Spanish economy. He also revealed new details about employment growth since 2019, stating that Spain now has about 1.1 million more workers, but total hours worked have not risen correspondingly.
The explanation offered is that many of these jobs are concentrated in the public sector, while others are part time or spread across different workplaces. He pointed to estimates of 400,000 to 500,000 positions created to cope with work absenteeism.
Keys to agreement between PSOE and Sumar: From 37.5-hour working days and changes in layoffs to new maternity leaves
He also criticized the drift and polarization in Spanish politics that makes broad consensus difficult when addressing the sector’s ongoing challenges since the Covid years. He suggested that by 2025 no lasting gains would come from permanent political division and urged a cooperative approach to the path ahead.
Zaragoza Chamber of Commerce does not see this as bad
The general secretary of the Zaragoza Chamber of Commerce, José Miguel Sánchez, expressed a more favorable view toward reducing the working hours if accompanied by strong productivity gains and social dialogue. He emphasized the need for agreements framed within cooperative negotiations between business groups and trade unions. This stance aligns with the programmatic pact between PSOE and Sumar, which proposes a gradual reduction of the official maximum working week from 40 hours to 38.5 hours in 2024 and to 37.5 hours in 2025.
Sánchez underscored that such decisions should be settled through social dialogue and anchored in the evolving state of the economy. He also noted that structural reforms in the Spanish economy will require action that could prompt the European Union to recalibrate fiscal targets as needed.