The Balearic vice-president and minister for economic affairs, Antoni Costa, suggested on Wednesday that the regional government is open to the possibility of reducing working hours.
"Nobody would be against working fewer hours, but we have to carefully evaluate the consequences," he said during a presentation of third-quarter economic figures. He argued that regulations should take account of the major economic sectors in each region and the capacity that companies would have in adapting to these regulations.
He pointed out that "the services sector would need greater flexibility than the industrial sector, for example", and called on the Spanish Government to be aware of the situation in the Balearics: "An economy intensive in services is not the same as an economy intensive in industry. This is why we are asking for a cautious approach."
Until now the Partido Popular government in the Balearics has confined itself to highlighting the difficulties that reform of working hours would pose. The shift in narrative is quite significant and is partly in line with that of the PP's national leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who has said that any reform should be flexible, without imposition and limited to certain sectors. Costa's remarks are unlikely to go down well with the two main employers' organisations - CAEB (Confederation of Balearic Business Associations) and Pimem (Federation of Small to Medium-Sized Business Associations) - who are both opposed to a shorter working week.
Spain's minister of employment, Yolanda Díaz, said earlier this week that an agreement with the unions will be finalised "imminently" and that from December 31, 2025 "the entire salaried population of this country, without distinction, will see their working day reduced".
Opposition in the Balearics is largely based on the practicality of application to an economy that is overwhelmingly dependent on services - the hospitality sector is a prime example. Ahead of negotiations for the sector's new collective bargaining agreement, unions have been talking about reduced hours.
José Luis García, general secretary of the CCOO (one of the two big unions along with the UGT), recently said: "It's not about the type of sector, but about rights. It is about whether we want a country that is committed to innovation or one that is precarious. Since 1983 we have had a 40-hour week. The economy, business and society have all changed."