New compulsory working time registration has created confusion in Spain on the first day. Many companies have not prepared for it, said a spokeswoman for the Spanish trade union umbrella organization CCOO.
The law was passed two months ago by the socialist minority government of Pedro Sánchez and came into force on Sunday. It obliges all employers to document the working hours of their employees.
However, the law did not take the law seriously, Labor Minister Magdalena Valerio complained. For example, hotel employees complained in Majorca that their employers had them sign documents with fake working hours.
Time clock, app, paper list - everything is possible
Like a student starting to study on the last day before class, many companies have only now come to terms with the new rules, the Spanish newspaper El Periódico wrote. According to the report, however, also the Ministry of Labor has shamed: Only on Tuesday, therefore, appeared a guide on how companies should implement the law.
Labor Minister Valerio announced that it would review compliance with the law. With the new regulations, the government wanted to fight above all unpaid overtime and undeclared work. Businesses can choose to work hours through digital time clocks, apps, or hard copy, and keep data for four years. According to experts, the law is one of the strictest in the world. For example, it also applies to employees who work from home.
The European Court of Justice decided on Tuesday that all companies in the European Union must systematically record the working hours of their employees. Only in this way is it possible to check whether permissible working hours are exceeded, the top EU judges in Luxembourg justified the judgment.