The Parliament of the Canary Islands has voted against a motion by the Socialist Party (PSOE) calling for support in processing a national bill to reduce the standard working week to 37.5 hours.
The motion was rejected with votes from the ruling coalition parties – Canary Coalition (CC), People’s Party (PP), Gomera Socialist Group (ASG), and the Hierro Independent Group (AHI) – along with support from Vox.
During the session yesterday, Wednesday, PSOE deputy Gustavo Santana expressed disappointment that, in his view, political interests were blocking progress.
He criticised the PP for lacking support for the balance of life for workers, and accused the Canarian Government of being controlled by the regional Employment Minister, Jessica de León, saying: “They’re not even able to take a stance, this is a historic mistake.”
Mixed Positions Among Smaller Parties
Raúl Acosta from AHI voiced support for reducing working hours in principle but argued it should be negotiated and not imposed by law. He warned the change could hurt GDP and job creation unless accompanied by compensatory measures.
ASG’s Jesús Ramos also doubted the bill would pass nationally and highlighted the need for financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who would struggle with the increased costs.
Vox: "More Jobs, Not Fewer Hours"
Vox representative Paula Jover rejected what she called the “populist gimmick” of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz, arguing the real problem is not too many working hours, but too few jobs.
“This would mean more unemployment and more precarious work,” she said, adding that the Canarian economy cannot sustain such a structural change.
Divided Right: Support in Principle, Disagreement on Method
Natalia Santana of New Canaries–Canarian Brotherhood (NC–BC) said the debate was driven by “pure ideology” and accused the Canarian Government of following the interests of the market. She argued the proposal was “far from utopian” and already backed by international examples.
Meanwhile, PP spokesman Carlos Ester agreed that a reduced working week could be positive but criticised the Spanish Government’s approach as “interventionist” and lacking in proper dialogue. “We need to do this right if we want to avoid economic setbacks,” he added, urging lawmakers to look at successful European models.
CC deputy Francisco Linares echoed this view, saying his party supported the idea in principle but not the way it was being implemented. “This bill is going nowhere – it's all style, no substance,” he said, expressing concern for the impact on SMEs and self-employed workers. “What’s missing here is common sense.”
