Deputy Martín Tetaz proposed the implementation of a flexible workday in Argentina, inspired by the experiment conducted in Germany with the four-day workweek. The Argentine government views this initiative positively, which would allow parties to explore alternatives such as working four days and resting three, or reducing the workday in exchange for a productivity commitment.
According to Tetaz, the project proposes the creation of a "trial institute" for three to six months, with a change in labor rules. Labor Secretary Julio Cordero expressed willingness to promote the proposal among business owners and union leaders, although with nuances regarding the extension of the workday and compensation for fewer workdays.
The proposed plan bears similarities to an article in DNU 70/23 that had been halted by a judicial protection, and foresees a maximum duration of forty-eight hours per week, allowing each sector to define how to distribute those hours. It is proposed to skip certain articles of the labor law to implement this measure, with exceptions for agricultural, livestock, and domestic workers.
Germany, which has already concluded its experiment, reported that 73% of participating companies prefer to maintain the four-day workweek. In Argentina, a new ruling is being prepared to allow greater flexibility in part-time jobs, like Germany's "minijobs," aimed at improving labor insertion for specific groups.
The debate over reducing the workweek from 48 hours, in effect in Argentina since the 1930s, has been pushed by unions. Tetaz's proposal aims to find a balance between the needs of workers and the demands of the labor market, with the possibility of reversing the measure if it does not work for both parties.
