Commerce is the economic activity that generates the most employment in the city of Valencia. 18.6% of the population employed in the service sector work there, which employs more than 80% of the workers in the city.
And for all of them, reducing hours is complex, with many nuances, especially for establishments that are small and medium-sized companies. The debate surrounding the reduction of the working day to 32 hours -with regard to the pilot project that Valencia is developing- has pushed merchants to focus on what they consider to be a step prior to this: the pending debate on rationalization hours, especially when the working hours of the sector are one of the aspects that make hiring the most difficult, they point out.
“Commerce is open from ten to ten, or from nine to nine, sometimes up to seven days a week. Thus, we can hardly make it attractive to the worker", laments Mauro Lorenzo, general secretary of Unió Gremial, an autonomous entity that is also positioned against the pilot from Valencia on the four-day journey, which he draws as "almost a utopia" for the sector of trade.
“What good is a four-day journey if we can't enjoy those holidays? Thus, there will be more and more discrimination in commerce, because no one will want to come to work when everyone is partying”, argues Lorenzo. He adds that "the message seems to be getting out that entering the trade is synonymous with being enslaved." Meanwhile, Rafael Torres, president of Confecomerç CV, opens the range of reasons, who considers that the problem more than in the schedules lies in the presence that the sector demands.
In addition, he considers that there is a lack of specific training for the worker, which does not allow for higher salaries and points out the perception that "commerce is not an attractive or future business, that is why it is important to work on the training and dignity of the profession, so that it is more attractive to young people”.
The debate on the working day is open, but Mauro Lorenzo asks to take action. That is why Unió Gremial defends a reduction in the current 90-hour weekly opening hours in force in the Valencian Community, as explained months ago in the commission on the uses of time that the Valencian Corts hosted. On this, Lorenzo points out that "we no longer want more commissions, we want to get somewhere".
In that commission, all the appearances related to the commercial sector pointed almost unanimously to a rationalization of business hours that allows combining personal, family and work life. The Valencia Chamber supported the proposal, as well as companies and teachers in labor law. There was then talk of adjusting schedules, midday breaks, and compacting of the working day, but there have been no concrete actions and the current price crisis does not encourage making changes either.
The merchants explain that with reduced staff it is difficult to apply the proposals. This is how Rafa Torres, president of Confecomerç CV, explains it, who recalls that businesses normally have teams of less than four people: How do I reduce hours without hiring more people and also closing earlier? That would imply invoicing less and let's remember that small businesses are the ones that are most affected by the reduction in margins”, Torres wonders.
