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Uruguay construction sector agrees to 40-hour workweek by 2030
🇺🇾 Uruguay /Energy & Infrastructure

Uruguay construction sector agrees to 40-hour workweek by 2030

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Uruguay's construction sector will gradually reduce the workweek from 44 to 40 hours by 2030 through a collective agreement.
  • The agreement, signed by the government, the construction union (Sunca), and employers, aims to improve worker conditions while aligning with government programs.
  • The deal includes phased salary adjustments and support for early childhood policies, with the reduction implemented one hour per year.

Workers in Uruguay's construction sector will see their workweek gradually shorten from 44 to 40 hours by 2030, following the signing of a landmark collective agreement. The deal, brokered between the government, the powerful construction union Sindicato Único de la Construcción y Anexos (Sunca), and employers, represents a significant step towards improving labor conditions in the industry.

You can't force anyone or rush things.

— Juan CastilloDescribing the negotiation process for the labor agreement.

Minister of Labor and Social Security Juan Castillo hailed the agreement as a component of the ruling Frente Amplio (FA) party's government program. He emphasized the importance of rebuilding trust between parties and allowing each to articulate their perspectives. The agreement directly impacts approximately 55,000 workers in the construction sector.

This deserves recovering trust between the parties, giving each the possibility to explain their way, their contents, their mechanisms, and the work culture of the places.

— Juan CastilloHighlighting the importance of mutual understanding in reaching the agreement.

Castillo noted that while the agreement is a positive development for the construction industry, it may not serve as a direct model for other sectors. "Each branch of activity and each concrete action, no matter how much one takes it as a sign or reference, does not mean it is exactly applicable elsewhere," he stated. He assured that the transition would be managed within government guidelines, with parties agreeing on the mechanisms for implementation.

It is good and important that a sector like civil construction has been able to reach an agreement, but this does not mean that, as it is, it is a model that can be applied.

— Juan CastilloCommenting on the significance of the agreement while cautioning against its universal application.

Sunca president Richard Ferreira expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating that the agreement reflects a substantial portion of the workers' demands. The phased reduction will begin next year, with one hour subtracted from the workweek annually until the 40-hour target is reached in 2030. The agreement also includes annual salary adjustments until 2030, the reintegration of workers on unemployment benefits, and provisions for companies to manage the reduced hours. Additionally, both parties will support policies related to early childhood development.

It is clear that it will not be the rest of society that will be paying.

— Juan CastilloReassuring that the costs of the agreement will be managed by the involved parties.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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