{"id":21,"date":"2024-01-04T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyc-ca.com\/?p=21"},"modified":"2026-09-04T16:05:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T20:05:27","slug":"reduccion-jornada-40-horas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyc-ca.com\/en\/2024\/01\/04\/reduccion-jornada-40-horas\/","title":{"rendered":"Reducing the workweek to 40 hours"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today the 40-hour week is not in force: 42 hours are. The law's name is misleading, and that error has a cost, because the weekly limit in force since 26 April 2026 is 42 hours and the 40 hours only arrive on 26 April 2028. The second error, just as costly: believing that the four-day workweek is already a right. It is not yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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En breve<\/p>\n\n\n

Lo que casi ninguna empresa ajustó al bajar la jornada es el divisor con que se calculan las horas extraordinarias<\/strong>: quien no lo tocó las está pagando mal, y la diferencia se acumula mes a mes. Además, cuatro colectivos siguen en 44 horas y no bajaron a 42: transporte, agrícolas permanentes, sistemas excepcionales de distribución de jornada y jornada bisemanal.<\/p>\n\n\n

Cifras clave<\/strong> · 44 horas desde el 26-04-2024 · 42 horas desde el 26-04-2026<\/strong> · 40 horas desde el 26-04-2028<\/p>\n\n\n

Rule<\/strong> · Ley N° 21.561, publicada el 26-04-2023, artículo primero transitorio: «se reducirá a cuarenta y cuatro horas al primer año; cuarenta y dos horas al tercer año y cuarenta horas al quinto año, contados desde la publicación de la presente ley en el Diario Oficial»<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n

Verificado al 02-09-2026.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

En este art\u00edculo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. 42 hours are in force today, not 40<\/a><\/li>
  2. The reduction applies automatically; the distribution must be agreed<\/a><\/li>
  3. How the two hours are split when there is no agreement<\/a><\/li>
  4. Neither a pay cut, nor at the expense of the meal break<\/a><\/li>
  5. The value of the overtime hour goes up<\/a><\/li>
  6. El 4×3 todav\u00eda no es un derecho general<\/a><\/li>
  7. Working hours in cycles: averaging over up to four weeks<\/a><\/li>
  8. Overtime offset with holiday days<\/a><\/li>
  9. Time band for mothers, fathers and carers<\/a><\/li>
  10. Who did not drop to 42 hours<\/a><\/li>
  11. Part-time work, minimum wage and exemption from working-hours limits<\/a><\/li>
  12. Attendance record: what changed and what did not<\/a><\/li>
  13. What the inspection figures show<\/a><\/li>
  14. Sources<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Law 21,561 was published on 26 April 2023<\/strong> in the Official Gazette. It did not cut working hours all at once: it set a five-year phase-in that is still running, and at each stage things change that most companies fail to adjust \u2014the value of the overtime hour, for example\u2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The pattern we see among clients is consistent: working hours were adjusted on paper, but no one reviewed the divisor used to calculate overtime, nor the attendance record, nor whether the worker listed as \"excluded from working-hours limits\" really is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Esto es lo que rige al 02-09-2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    42 hours are in force today, not 40<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The first transitory article of the law provides that working hours \"shall be reduced to forty-four hours in the first year; forty-two hours in the third year and forty hours in the fifth year, counted from the publication of this law in the Official Gazette\"<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Colectivo<\/th>Jornada semanal vigente al 02-09-2026<\/th>Cu\u00e1ndo baja a 40 horas<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    R\u00e9gimen general<\/td>42 horas<\/strong>, desde el 26-04-2026<\/td>26-04-2028<\/td><\/tr>
    Transporte interurbano de pasajeros, de carga, ferroviario, locomoci\u00f3n colectiva urbana y transporte rural<\/td>Sigue en 44 horas<\/strong><\/td>26-04-2028<\/td><\/tr>
    Trabajadores agr\u00edcolas permanentes<\/td>Sigue en 44 horas<\/strong><\/td>26-04-2028<\/td><\/tr>
    Sistemas excepcionales de distribuci\u00f3n de jornada y descansos autorizados por resoluci\u00f3n<\/td>Sigue en 44 horas<\/strong><\/td>26-04-2028<\/td><\/tr>
    Jornada bisemanal, esquema 10×5<\/td>84 horas<\/strong> desde 2026 (eran 88 desde 2024)<\/td>80 horas en 2028<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
    Art\u00edculo primero transitorio de la Ley N\u00b0 21.561, contado desde su publicaci\u00f3n el 26-04-2023. Aplicar 42 horas a un colectivo que qued\u00f3 para el quinto a\u00f1o, o mantener 44 en el r\u00e9gimen general, son los dos errores espejo de una revisi\u00f3n de contratos hecha a la ligera.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Si tu empresa a\u00fan tiene contratos del r\u00e9gimen general operando sobre 44 horas, est\u00e1 infringiendo la ley desde abril pasado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The reduction applies automatically; the distribution must be agreed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Here it is worth distinguishing two things that are constantly confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The reduction of the weekly limit applies by operation of law.<\/strong> The second transitory article is explicit: the amendments relating to the reduction of working hours \"shall be deemed incorporated into individual contracts, collective bargaining instruments and internal regulations by the sole operation of the law, without any need to amend them\"<\/em>. Nothing needs to be signed for the cap to drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The distribution of those hours, on the other hand, does require agreement.<\/strong> The third transitory article provides that the adjustment of the daily working hours \"must be carried out by mutual agreement between the parties or through the trade unions representing their members\"<\/em>, and only in the absence of agreement does the employer carry it out by reducing the end of the workday proportionally across the various working days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And a point where we frequently see mistakes: the employer cannot impose a contract addendum<\/strong>. The Labour Directorate ruled on this in January 2026 in direct terms: the employer is not empowered to unilaterally modify the contract or to require the worker to sign addenda without their consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How the two hours are split when there is no agreement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    For the current bracket \u2014from 44 to 42\u2014 the Labour Directorate set the default rule in April 2026, reconsidering its earlier doctrine on the basis of an interpretive provision contained in Law 21,755:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Si la jornada est\u00e1 distribuida en<\/th>C\u00f3mo se rebajan las dos horas<\/th>Qui\u00e9n elige los d\u00edas<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    5 d\u00edas<\/strong><\/td>Una hora al end<\/strong> de la jornada, en dos d\u00edas distintos<\/strong> de la semana<\/td>El empleador<\/td><\/tr>
    6 d\u00edas<\/strong><\/td>Cincuenta minutos al t\u00e9rmino de la jornada en dos d\u00edas distintos<\/strong>, m\u00e1s la fracci\u00f3n de twenty minutes on a third day<\/strong>: 120 minutos en total<\/td>El empleador<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
    Regla supletoria fijada por la Direcci\u00f3n del Trabajo en abril de 2026, reconsiderando su doctrina anterior a partir de la norma interpretativa de la Ley N\u00b0 21.755. La rebaja se aplica al t\u00e9rmino de la jornada, no al inicio, y no puede imputarse al tiempo de colaci\u00f3n.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The days are determined by the employer. The reduction is applied at the end<\/strong> of the workday, not at the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Neither a pay cut, nor at the expense of the meal break<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The final paragraph of the first transitory article admits no alternative reading: \"The application of this law may under no circumstances represent a reduction in the remuneration of the benefited workers.\"<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You work less and earn the same. Where there is variable remuneration \u2014commissions, piece rates, volume targets\u2014, the employer must adjust the parameters so that the reduction in working hours does not translate into a loss of income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And an escape route that the Labour Directorate expressly closed in November 2025: the reduction in working hours cannot be charged against the meal-break time<\/strong>. Deducting half an hour of the meal break to \"offset\" the reduction is not a valid adjustment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The value of the overtime hour goes up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    This is the effect most often overlooked, and it is the one that shows up in inspections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The value of the ordinary hour is obtained by dividing the monthly salary by 30, multiplying by 28 and dividing the result by the divisor corresponding to the working hours. With 42 hours per week the divisor is 168<\/strong>. The overtime hour is that ordinary hour multiplied by 1.5 \u2014the 50% surcharge under article 32 did not change\u2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jornada semanal<\/th>Divisor<\/th>Hora ordinaria con sueldo de $800.000<\/th>Hora extraordinaria (\u00d7 1,5)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    45 horas (r\u00e9gimen anterior)<\/td>180<\/td>$4.148<\/td>$6.222<\/td><\/tr>
    42 horas (vigente)<\/strong><\/td>168<\/strong><\/td>$4.444,4<\/strong><\/td>$6.666,6<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
    40 horas (desde el 26-04-2028)<\/td>160<\/td>$4.666,7<\/td>$7.000<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
    F\u00f3rmula oficial: sueldo mensual \u00f7 30 \u00d7 28 \u00f7 divisor. La fila de 42 horas es el ejemplo que publica la propia Direcci\u00f3n del Trabajo; las de 45 y 40 horas son c\u00e1lculo nuestro con la misma f\u00f3rmula. La misma hora extra cuesta hoy alrededor de un 7% more<\/strong> que con 45 horas, sin que haya subido el sueldo, y subir\u00e1 otro tanto en 2028. Montos en pesos completos \u2014excepci\u00f3n deliberada a nuestra regla de M$\u2014 porque son cifras que el lector necesita poder reproducir.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The example published by the Labour Directorate itself: a salary of $800.000<\/strong> gives an ordinary hour of $4.444,4<\/strong> and an overtime hour of $6.666,6<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The other overtime rules remain in force: a maximum of two per day<\/strong>, agreed in writing<\/strong> with a term no longer than three months, renewable, and all hours worked over the agreed working hours are considered overtime even where there is no prior agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The \"4x3\" is not yet a general right<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Here we must be categorical, because the headline circulated much faster than the fine print.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The law did indeed replace, in article 28 of the Labour Code, the expression \"five days\" with \"four days\", so that working hours may be distributed over no fewer than four and no more than six days. But that provision was placed in the group that only takes effect in the fifth year<\/strong>, that is, from 26 April 2028, together with the 40 hours. Today the legal minimum is still five days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With one relevant nuance: in February 2026 the Labour Directorate accepted that the parties agree in advance<\/strong> the reduction to 40 hours and its distribution over four days, even with a set term \u2014as a trial run\u2014, respecting the maximum of 10 hours per day. That is: today the 4x3 is possible by agreement<\/strong>, not enforceable as a right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Working hours in cycles: averaging over up to four weeks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The new article 22 bis allows the parties to agree different alternatives for distributing working hours within a cycle, averaging them over up to four weeks<\/strong>. Rules:<\/p>\n\n\n\n