Unions Across Mexico are Demanding Immediate Approval of the 40 Hour Workweek

ByMaría del Pilar Martínez

This article by María del Pilar Martínez originally appeared in the November 19, 2025 edition of El Economista.

The demand to immediately approve the constitutional reform that reduces the working day from 48 to 40 hours reached the Legislative Branch this Wednesday, where union leaders from different sectors made a strong call to the Chamber of Deputies to stop postponing a decision that, they assure, represents an indispensable step forward for the country.

Leading the charge, Francisco Hernández Juárez, General Secretary of the Mexican Telephone Workers Union (STRM), asserted that the labour movement will not allow the reform to be watered down, nor will it allow the business sector to impose conditions that limit its scope. “The working class cannot wait any longer. The reform must be approved now, without exceptions or shortcuts that affect labour rights,” he declared before thousands of workers gathered in front of the San Lázaro Legislative Palace.

The working class cannot wait any longer. The reform must be approved now, without exceptions or shortcuts that affect labour rights

Francisco Hernández Juárez

Along with the STRM, representatives from railway workers, miners, flight attendants, firefighters, telephone operators, university workers, electricians, manufacturing unions, government workers, and independent organizations participated, all agreeing that the legislative delay is due to pressure from businesses seeking to suppress an internationally recognized right. For the organizations present, including the UNT, the Mexican Trade Union Front, the Confederation of Unions United for Transformation , and various regional unions, reducing the workday is an urgent measure to improve the physical and emotional health of workers, as well as to modernize the Mexican labor model.

The leaders warned that the legislative delay has opened the door to proposals that aim to reduce the cost of overtime, make temporary contracts more flexible, or shift the implementation of the 40-hour workweek to individual negotiations, which they consider a step backward. “We will not allow the reform to be emptied of its substance. This is not about corporate interests or piecemeal deals: it is a right that must be clearly enshrined in the Constitution and applied to everyone,” they stated in their unified message.

Hernández Juárez insisted that the reform’s approval is part of the labor transformation initiated in recent years, a process that, he said, will only be consolidated with the active participation of democratic unionism. “If the unions don’t push forward, the old regime will return. That’s why we are here united today, because every conflict one organization faces is connected to the others. If we don’t act together, we will remain isolated in the face of abuses,” he stated.

The mobilization brought together workers from key sectors such as telecommunications, transportation, mining, automotive manufacturing, education, energy, and public services. During the rally, the organizations pointed out that Mexico remains among the OECD countries with the longest working hours  while facing increasing rates of work-related stress, mental burnout, and health problems associated with overwork.

The unions called on lawmakers to vote on the reform during the current ordinary session and prevent the discussion from being postponed until the end of the year or subjected to conditional negotiations. “The 40-hour workweek is a global standard and a historical debt owed to the working class. There is no technical or economic argument that justifies further delays,” Hernández Juárez concluded.

The labor movement showed an unusual unity around an issue they consider central to the modernization of the world of work, while they remain attentive to the decision that Congress will make in the coming days.