[Spain] Four-day work week trial funded by EU COVID recovery cash

Spain could become one of the first countries in the world to trial a four-day working week when a new pilot gets underway.

The three-year pilot project will use 50 million euros from the European Union’s coronavirus recovery fund to compensate around 200 participating mid-size firms as they adjust to a 32-hour working week by resizing their workforce or reorganising production workflows. 

A blueprint by the Mas Pais progressive party behind the initiative, reveals that EU funds will subsidise all of the employers’ extra costs in the first year of the trial and then reduce the government’s aid to 50 per cent and 25 per cent for each consecutive year. 

The only condition for the support is that the readjustment will lead to a real net reduction of working hours while maintaining full-time contract salaries, according to Hector Tejero of the Madrid regional assembly. 

Mr Tejero said, ‘It’s not using the European funds for Spaniards to work less, it’s about seeing how we can improve productivity and competitiveness of our companies.’

Spain could become one of the first countries in the world to trial a four-day working week when a new pilot gets underway.

The three-year pilot project will use 50 million euros from the European Union’s coronavirus recovery fund to compensate around 200 participating mid-size firms as they adjust to a 32-hour working week by resizing their workforce or reorganising production workflows. 

A blueprint by the Mas Pais progressive party behind the initiative, reveals that EU funds will subsidise all of the employers’ extra costs in the first year of the trial and then reduce the government’s aid to 50 per cent and 25 per cent for each consecutive year. 

The only condition for the support is that the readjustment will lead to a real net reduction of working hours while maintaining full-time contract salaries, according to Hector Tejero of the Madrid regional assembly. 

Mr Tejero said, ‘It’s not using the European funds for Spaniards to work less, it’s about seeing how we can improve productivity and competitiveness of our companies.’