Chile's Congress approves reducing work week from 45 to 40 hours

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Chilean lawmakers approved a bill Tuesday to reduce the work week from 45 to 40 hours, which was considered an important victory for leftist President Gabriel Boric.

The bill, which was given the go-ahead by unions and employers, passed the lower house 127-14 after being unanimously approved by the Senate three weeks ago.

“Today it has been shown that, although some thought it was impossible to advance towards a better quality of life for workers in our country, it can be done,” said Labor Minister Jeanette Jara after the vote.

The reduction will be implemented in three stages over a five-year period. The law proposes initially reducing the work week from 45 to 44 hours during the first year, to 42 hours in the third year and reaching the 40-hour goal in the fifth year.

The measure was submitted in 2017 by leftist lawmakers, but it remained stalled in Congress during the administration of right-wing President Sebastian Pinera. Chile had already reduced its work week in 2005 from 48 to 45 hours.

Reducing the work week was one of the main projects of President Boric, who has suffered heavy setbacks in his agenda, including voters rejecting a new constitution he drafted.

“The mandate of our government in Chile is to move towards greater justice, and I have no doubt that improvements such as #40 hours are essential to get closer to a new Chile, one that is fairer and has a fuller life,” Boric said Tuesday on his Twitter account.

The progressive former student leader came to power promising structural changes, more rights for workers and political reform to create a fairer society.