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Working Hours: Spain

Question for Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

UIN HL14996, tabled on 16 April 2021

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposed three-year pilot project for a 32-hour working week in Spain; and what plans, if any, they have for a similar pilot project to be conducted in the UK.

Answered on

28 April 2021

The Government currently has no plans to introduce a mandated four-day working week in the UK.

The UK has one of the most flexible labour markets in Europe and this flexibility enables workers to participate in the labour market in a way that suits their circumstances. Working hours are ultimately a contractual matter to be agreed between a worker and their employer, and our existing legal framework provides a statutory right for all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service to request flexible working, where employees can request a change to their hours, working patterns or working from home.

Answered by

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy