A unanimous vote that changes the pace of life
The Congress of Baja California Sur has just taken a historic step. With the yes of all the deputies present, they approved the minute to reduce the weekly working day from 48 to 40 hours. And here’s the crucial thing: without anyone seeing their salary or benefits reduced.
“The measure seeks to improve the quality of life of working people,” legislators said during the debate.
A change that does not come suddenly
They are not going to sleep today with 48 hours and wake up tomorrow with 40. The reform is intelligent: it proposes a gradual implementation between 2026 and 2030. Give companies and workers time to adapt.
Additionally, it comes with clear rules to protect the employee. The weekly rest is protected. And the overtime… well, now they will be more expensive for the employer.
If you are asked to work beyond your hours, those hours must be paid 100% more than your normal salary. And there is a limit: maximum 12 extra hours a week, spread over no more than four per day.
What if a company goes over the limit? The fine is forceful: you must pay an additional 200% of the corresponding salary. Extra work for minors under 18 years of age is also prohibited.
The national map is painted with change
With this movement, Baja California Sur becomes the state number 11 to join this wave. Oaxaca, Tabasco, Sonora, Puebla, the State of Mexico and five others had already done it.
But the work is not finished yet. For the reform to become a reality throughout the country, it needs the support of at least 17 local congresses. It is the procedure established by the Constitution.
What happened in La Paz is not an isolated act. It is one more scene in a national work where, slowly, what it means to ‘work’ in Mexico is being rewritten. The curtain has not fallen yet.
