"What price do you put on being able to sing [to your child] at night? What price do you put on being able to go for a walk, to breathe, after a day's work? (...) What price do you put on spending time with your family or alone, having time to think? That's certainly not covered by standardized productivity indexes". On August 23, 2022, from the presidential palace, the Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, resurrected a measure aimed at reducing the working day from the current 45 hours a week to 40 hours a week with the same salary. A campaign promise made by the youngest president in the country's history, currently 37 years old, which paves the way for a cultural change in Chile whereby life should not only be work-driven.
On Tuesday, April 11, Chilean lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the bill to reduce weekly working hours, following its unanimous passage through the Senate on March 21. It was the result of rare dialogue and cooperation between political parties. The Chilean Congress is often the scene of periodic tensions, which often result in setbacks for the government, such as the rejection of a tax reform last month. In total, nearly 5 million private sector workers are affected. Public sector employees, to whom the 44-hour workweek applies, will be the subject of another bill. As for the 27% of informal sector workers, they have basically been overlooked.
Author: Flora Genoux
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