Mexico approves 40-hour workweek bill, raises overtime cap

The Chamber of Deputies approved the general outline of the bill late on Tuesday with the support of all 469 present in the 500-member Congress; none voted against. Deputies then went on to discuss the law's particular terms, approving them with 411 votes in favour.

Mexico has approved a bill to gradually reduce the workweek from 48 to 40 hours, although the reform, expected to be implemented from next year, increases weekly overtime and maintains only one rest day for every six worked.

With more than 2,226 work hours per person per year, Latin America's second-largest economy has the worst work-life balance in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The country, where around 55 per cent of workers are employed in the informal sector, also has the lowest labour productivity and the lowest wages among the group's 38 member states.

The Chamber of Deputies approved the general outline of the bill late on Tuesday with the support of all 469 present in the 500-member Congress; none voted against. Deputies then went on to discuss the law's particular terms, approving them with 411 votes in favour.

The opposition had strongly criticised the reform during 10 hours of debate. The ruling party hailed its approval, which follows years of back-and-forth with business owners.

"Productivity is not measured by exhaustion. It is built with dignity," said ruling-party representative Pedro Haces, who also serves as the secretary general of the Autonomous Confederation of Workers and Employees of Mexico.

The opposition argued that the bill does not represent a real reduction of the workweek because it increases weekly overtime to 12 hours from nine and does not include a mandatory two days of rest for every five worked.