“This approach involves an effective adjustment of working hours to four days a week, allowing for more rest time for workers without any loss of income,” explained António Lima, a member of the regional parliament, during the presentation of a non-binding resolution project in Horta.
The lawmaker acknowledged that the measure is not universally agreed upon, as only labor unions have expressed support while business representatives oppose it. He called for a “change of mindset” to allow the autonomous region to move forward with this initiative.
The proposal was backed by Pedro Neves, a deputy from the PAN party, who stated that he already implements this measure in his own office with positive results: “In practice, it has been observed that productivity increases as long as each worker has a goal to achieve. This is how workers are motivated.”
Olivéria Santos, a deputy from Chega, argued that the measure would be difficult to apply in the private sector in the Azores, which is characterized by micro and small businesses, emphasizing that reducing working hours in the tourism sector would be even more challenging for entrepreneurs.
“In a region that aims to invest in tourism, and where the economy strongly depends on seasonal sectors, this measure could indeed impede the widespread adoption of a four-day workweek,” she warned.
Nuno Barata from the Liberal Initiative reminded that the BE’s proposal is optional and does not force businesses to reduce their employees’ working hours: “The argument that this reduces productivity is unfounded, since this resolution project does not compel any company to implement a four-day workweek.”
The parties supporting the Regional Government (PSD, CDS-PP, and PPM) believe that a broader debate is required to study the real impacts that the reduction of working hours could have on the archipelago.
“If this measure is eventually applied in the Azorean public administration, it could be implemented voluntarily. However, it is important to remember that those wishing to adopt a four-day workweek in the private sector can already do so,” stated Sabrina Furtado, a PSD deputy.
For João Mendonça, from PPM, any alteration of working hours in the Azores only makes sense “if it brings real benefits to both workers and businesses,” and he advocated for “a wider debate” on the topic.
However, the regional secretary for Parliamentary Affairs, Paulo Estêvão, explained that the Regional Government has already created a task force to assess the impact of potentially implementing a pilot project for a four-day workweek.
“We have contacted the same team that worked on the private sector experience in Portugal, the professors Rita Fontinha and Pedro Gomes, who will also work with the Regional Government on this pilot project,” he revealed.
The executive aims to reach conclusions by the end of the year, but João Vasco Costa, a deputy from PS, expressed skepticism, questioning repeatedly whether “anything has been done yet”: “How many times has the task force met? Has it presented any interim report on this matter?”
The secretary for Parliamentary Affairs stated only that the task force “has met several times,” without specifying the number of meetings.
Pedro Pinto, a CDS deputy, criticized BE for presenting “an opportunistic proposal” intended merely to recommend that the Regional Government pursue actions it already announced.
The BE proposal received support from PS, PAN, and IL, but was ultimately rejected by the votes against from PSD, CDS-PP, PPM, and Chega.
The Azorean parliament also rejected, with a majority, the resolution project from Chega recommending that the executive undertake the necessary measures to ensure monetary support for individual banana producers under the specific options program to address insularity and remoteness (POSEI).
The proposal received five votes in favor from Chega, opposed by PS, PSD, CDS-PP, PPM, and BE, with abstentions from IL and PAN.
[Updated at 8:41 PM]
