A Historical Perspective
The discussion on shorter workweeks is new, but the desire is not. For nearly nine decades, the world has been talking about shorter working hours, with a demand for less work time. In June 1935, during the Ninth International Conference on Labor in Geneva, Switzerland, the Convention on 40-hour weeks was signed. This convention, in its first article, stated that any member of the International Labour Organization ratifying this convention would support the principle of a 40-hour workweek, implemented in such a way that it does not lower workers’ living standards.
Although Mexico was among the first countries to sign this international commitment, there was a lack of political will to ratify and implement the convention, leaving Mexico behind other economies that have found merits in shorter workweeks due to their clear benefits for workers’ health and well-being, as well as company productivity.
Mexico’s Journey to a 40-Hour Workweek
It wasn’t until 2024 that then-presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, now Mexico’s Constitutional President, proposed reducing the workweek in Mexico to 40 hours as her campaign’s 60th commitment, showcasing the clear social orientation of her government.
On May 1, during International Workers’ Day commemoration, the Secretary of Labor, Marath Bolaños, announced the imminent implementation of a 40-hour workweek, accompanied by two additional announcements.
- The initiation of a series of regional forums to engage with involved sectors and construct the initiative to be sent to the Union Congress.
- The gradual implementation of the 40-hour workweek, with a limit set for 2030.
This marks the end of a nine-decade wait for one of the labor sector’s most felt demands, as successful experiences in other countries have demonstrated that shorter workweeks generate significant benefits for workers’ quality of life and company productivity, promoting physical and mental health, as well as work-life balance.
Global and Latin American Perspectives
The announcement sparked an interesting debate on whether Mexico can implement this measure and what path to follow for successful implementation, prioritizing the rights of Mexico’s 59.1 million workers without affecting the competitiveness of its 5.5 million existing economic units, according to INEGI data.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reported that in 2023, Mexico held the world record for hours worked. In contrast, its primary trading partners, the United States and Canada, have 40-hour workweeks. In Europe, examples include France with 35 hours, Germany with 35 to 40 hours, and Norway with 37 hours.
Latin American Experience
Beyond Europe and North America, Latin America also showcases shorter workweeks. Ecuador has a 40-hour week, Colombia a 42-hour week, and Cuba, Brazil, and Chile have 44-hour weeks. Chile has started a gradual implementation process from 45 to 40 hours, starting in 2023 and concluding in 2028. Alongside this, they’ve implemented measures to improve workers’ quality of life, such as flexible time slots for parents to adjust their work hours to their children’s schedules and even three-day weekends for four days of work with 10-hour daily shifts and a bank of overtime hours to be exchanged for additional days off.
While replicating these models exactly isn’t necessary, analyzing other countries’ experiences shows that the notion that only wealthy nations can reduce their workweek is incorrect. Various countries, not economic powerhouses, have made significant strides in this area.
Lack of Political Will
What has been the main obstacle keeping Mexico behind on this issue for so long?
The author believes that the lack of political will or inability to reduce the workweek in Mexico, which has remained at 48 hours since the 1917 Constitution’s promulgation, is largely due to the ideological bias of past Mexican leaders during the neoliberal era.
During this period, many legitimate social demands were ignored with economic arguments. A clear example is the minimum wage, which remained stagnant in real terms for decades, losing its purchasing power and negatively impacting Mexican families’ quality of life.
We were told that a more significant increase in the minimum wage would lead to inflation, devaluation, unemployment, and investment withdrawal. However, in the past seven years under the Fourth Transformation, we’ve seen the minimum wage regain its purchasing power dramatically through responsible tripartite agreements between government, employers, and workers. No economic crisis has emerged, and unemployment rates have reached their lowest levels in recent years at 2.5% during the first quarter of this year.
Thus, the announcement of a 40-hour workweek comes at an opportune time for Mexico, representing a long-overdue historical debt to workers who waited nearly a century for this announcement. However, its implementation must be carried out responsibly, gradually, and in agreement with both worker and employer sectors.
The Path to 40-Hour Workweeks
In the Chamber of Deputies’ Labor and Prevision Social Commission, we’ve announced the Roadmap to 40-Hour Workweeks, composed of two stages:
- National Listening: A broad dialogue process to hear opinions and proposals from all interested parties, including unions, businesses, civil society organizations, international bodies, and the Mexican government represented by the Secretariat of Labor.
- Legislative Process: Once the executive’s initiative is received, a thorough analysis will be conducted to ensure that the document drafted by the drafting commissions and subsequently discussed in the Chamber of Deputies’ plenary session guarantees workers’ and businesses’ well-being.
May 1, 2025, will be remembered as a historic day for Mexico, just as May 1, 1886, is remembered in honor of the Chicago Martyrs who protested for 8-hour workdays. Mexicans will remember it as the day they took a crucial step towards a more just workweek, as we are currently experiencing a labor spring that not only pursues full employment but also full well-being.
*Maiella Gómez Maldonado is a federal deputy from Morena and president of the Chamber of Deputies’ Labor and Prevision Social Commission.
