On April 26 of this year, Law No. 21,561 comes into force, amending the Labor Code. Among its main changes is the gradual reduction of the standard working hours established in Article 22, decreasing from 45 to 40 hours per week over a period of 5 years, to be implemented as follows:
- Effective date: 04.26.2024 | Ordinary weekly working hours: 44 hrs.
- Effective date: 04.26.2026 | Ordinary weekly working hours: 42 hrs.
- Effective date: 04.26.2028 | Ordinary weekly working hours: 40 hrs.
According to the same article, in its second paragraph, only certain employees may be excluded from the ordinary working schedule, specifically those who perform services as:
– Administrators
– Managers
– Attorneys-in-fact with administrative powers
– Those who work without immediate superior supervision, due to the nature of their duties.
In case of dispute, the Labor Inspector will determine whether a given role falls under any of the aforementioned categories, and such determination may be appealed before the competent labor court.
Review the commentary by Carlos Tapia, Director of the Corporate Tax Area at CCL Auditores Consultores, regarding the implementation of the Law, as well as the full summary prepared by CCL attorney Constanza Olivares in the following document.