UEPAL Criticises Reduction in Working Hours: "It Will Pose a Problem for Many Businesses"

The upcoming reduction in working hours to 37.5 hours, approved by the Council of Ministers, will have "a significant negative impact on the viability" of businesses, particularly SMEs and self-employed individuals. The Alicante Business Union (UEPAL) has expressed criticism towards this new government measure.

The president of the Alicante employers' association, César Quintanilla, emphasised that the reduction in working hours will be "neutral" among workers, but will create "many problems" for the "viability" of businesses. "If a business is endangered, 37.5 hours of work per employee are at risk."

UEPAL calls for more negotiation and "deeper" analysis of the effects of this measure, as well as a calm and structured implementation "for the benefit of all parties". They also stress that it "must be analysed, the cost to businesses quantified, ways to minimise its impact explored, difficulties compensated, and, above all, whether this reduction offers a real advantage for workers' conditions understood."

In this regard, the reduction in working hours "endangers business activity." Quintanilla points to the importance of "evolving and improving workers' living conditions", but a balance must be ensured through "effective measures." From his perspective, this reduction "will pose a problem for many businesses, especially the smaller ones or those with shorter staff."

UEPAL believes there are other measures with greater impact that should be analysed by the Government of Pedro Sánchez and, above all, debated among social agents, a dialogue that "has not occurred" according to the businessmen of the province of Alicante.

Among the issues related to workers' quality of life, UEPAL believes there should be control over inflation that harms the purchasing power of workers, even with increases in the Minimum Wage; addressing the housing issue, which would benefit workers, adjusting the taxation of businesses and self-employed individuals, and establishing a major debate on pensions, generational change, the incorporation of workers into sectors with labour shortages, and discussing the effectiveness of extending the retirement age for the economy and business productivity.