Gabriela Bravo, the Minister of Justice and Public Administration in the Valencian Generalitat, has changed her opinion about the feasibility of reducing the working day of civil servants to 35 hours a week. The proposal was rejected when first made in January by the UGT, but now Bravo is studying it’s introduction.
The economic impact is currently being analysed to define whether it would be acceptable for the regional budget, with sources suggesting that the first numbers presented to the Ministry are favourable to its launch.
If the working hours of public employees were reduced, the authorities would have to hire additional staff to cover the hours that were lost, especially in the public facing positions, and although there are still no official figures, the unions indicate that around 4,000 positions would be affected with hiring then carried out through temporary employment exchanges.
The change in Bravo’s position comes just one week after the Department of Health reached an agreement on the same terms with the unions for all statutory personnel. Health Minister Mínguez agreed with the union majority (the CESMCV-SAE abstained) to implement the 35-hour working day progressively; something that will become effective for the entire workforce of around 60,000 personnel, in January 2025.
With this agreement, the Community will join the list of eleven Autonomous Communities that have already, or are about to introduce, a similar pact, with the majority of Civil Service unions, UGT and CCOO, applauding what they call a “21st century Administration”.
