Background on Concanaco Servytur and its Relevance
Confederación de Cámaras Nacionales de Comercio, Servicios y Turismo (Concanaco Servytur) is a prominent organization representing businesses in Mexico’s service, commerce, and tourism sectors. With over 33 million people employed in these industries, accounting for 71.2% of formal employment, Concanaco Servytur plays a crucial role in advocating for the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises, local businesses, service companies, and tourism providers.
Concanaco Servytur’s Stance on Reduced Work Hours
During forums organized by Mexico’s Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social (STPS) to discuss the implementation of a 40-hour workweek, Concanaco Servytur’s president, Octavio de la Torre, stated that reducing work hours is “unviable” for the country’s commerce, services, and tourism sectors.
Unique Characteristics of the Service Sector
Unlike industrial sectors with measurable production per hour or automated processes, the commerce, services, and tourism sectors rely heavily on continuous customer flow, extended working hours, and public attention during weekends, holidays, and nighttime.
Concanaco Servytur’s Request to the Government
The organization urged the federal government and lawmakers to acknowledge the operational heterogeneity among productive sectors when legislating labor matters, as recommended by the principles of smart regulation. Concanaco Servytur emphasized the importance of structured dialogue with various regions.
International Labor Organization (ILO) Recommendation 116
According to ILO Recommendation 116, any labor hour reform should be based on economic, sectorial, and productivity conditions to prevent unintended consequences for labor-intensive sectors.
Examples from Other Countries
In countries like Spain and Germany, labor reforms were preceded by extensive consultation processes, investments in labor training, and active policies for vulnerable sectors.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is Concanaco Servytur? Concanaco Servytur is a Mexican confederation representing businesses in commerce, services, and tourism sectors.
- Why does Concanaco Servytur oppose reduced work hours? The service sector’s unique characteristics, such as reliance on continuous customer flow and extended working hours, make a reduced work hour model unviable.
- What does ILO Recommendation 116 suggest? The recommendation advises basing labor hour reforms on economic, sectorial, and productivity conditions to avoid negative impacts on labor-intensive sectors.
- How have other countries approached labor reforms? Extensive consultation processes, investments in labor training, and active policies for vulnerable sectors have preceded labor reforms in countries like Spain and Germany.
