Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo has ruled out approving a mandatory working hours register in September, delaying the measure until autumn at the earliest.
Speaking in Santander at the annual conference of technological employer association Ametic, Cuerpo stated that the government would approve the time-tracking rule as soon as possible rather than setting a firm date.
Cuerpo described the regulation as a key project for making effective progress toward reducing working hours across the country. However, he emphasized that the cabinet must first address formal observations raised by the Council of State, Spain's supreme consultative body.
He explained that the government is currently in the process of answering and correcting the draft legislation based on recommendations submitted by the advisory body.
The Council of State issued a highly critical report on the text in spring, echoing key arguments put forward by the Ministry of Economy and the CEOE, Spain's main business confederation. That report generated significant friction within the Ministry of Work and Social Economy, led by Second Vice President Yolanda Diaz, who had previously engaged in public disputes with Cuerpo over working hour reforms.
Efforts to overhaul working hours began after the Spanish Congress voted down a broader bill to reduce the maximum legal working week from 40 hours to 37.5 hours per week. That initiative was defeated in parliament a year ago following opposition from Junts, the People's Party, and Vox.
Following that legislative setback, Diaz decided to separate the digital time-tracking system from the working hours reduction. Because updating the working hours register does not require a vote in parliament, the Ministry of Work sought to approve it independently to combat unpaid overtime.
Trade union warnings and government timetable
The Ministry of Work had initially promised that the new time-tracking controls would be approved before August, but that target date passed without action. Following the summer recess, Diaz pushed to bring the measure directly before the Council of Ministers.
Cuerpo's statements in Santander implicitly ruled out final approval before the end of September. The delay comes despite warnings from Spain's major trade unions, the UGT and CCOO, who have demanded September approval and warned that further postponement would cause a breakdown in social dialogue with the government.
Minimum wage review and inflation impacts
Cuerpo also outlined the government's plans for reviewing the Minimum Interprofessional Wage, known as the SMI. He stated that the government would follow its established annual cycle, with an advisory committee of technical experts presenting a formal report toward the end of the year.
The expert committee will analyze national economic growth, price movements, and broader inflation trends to determine the recommended wage adjustment. Cuerpo explained that the objective is to prevent minimum wage earners from losing purchasing power and to avoid a gap between minimum pay and broader wage growth.
He added that inflation has remained elevated as a direct consequence of the war in Iran, with annual inflation reaching 4.3 percent in August 2026. The technical panel will explicitly incorporate that inflation figure into its proposal for the upcoming wage revision.
