Yes to a holiday fix, but gradually: Coparmix

The Work reform of the “holiday holidays” It is a positive thing for the workers. However, he said its application should be gradual because it can harm small and micro businesses Joseph Medina MoraPresident of the Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic (Coparmix).

In an interview with Millenniumthe representative of the employer stressed that it can affect the operations of this type of company, since they have a limited number of collaborators (between 1 and 50 people), they suggest applying it separately, for a period of six and six days, that is, not up to 12 days in one request.

the information inigi It appears, according to figures from his last economic census, that there are 4 million 800 thousand 157 micro and small-sized companies In Mexico, they represent 98.9 percent of companies in the country and provide about 19 million jobs.

reform initiative Federal Labor Law Its purpose is that workers under collective or individual contracting can extend their paid vacation from at least 6 to 12 days in the first year of employment, and increase consecutively by two days until 20 days are reached in the first five years.

Medina Mora He noted that the business sector is also studying a gradual application so that nine days will be given in 2023, and by 2024 there will be 12.

“At Coparmix, we are convinced that people should be at the center of the decision-making process, which is why union member companies, especially medium and large companies, currently give more vacation and vacation bonuses than those stipulated in federal labor law,” he said.

He stressed that it coincides with the reform, which aims to achieve a balance between work and rest for employees, “although we are concerned about its application in micro and small companies in the country where the average number of employees is 10.”

I remembered that In Mexico, 23 percent more hours are worked than the OECD average, but this country is less productive; Which means that more goods, knowledge, better services or greater wealth to be distributed is not generated through more labour, “that is why this proposal is positive, because it focuses on achieving greater productivity in the country.”

“Under the current regulation, a worker in Mexico must either spend 45 continuous years working for the same company to equal the vacation period that the workforce in Panama or Nicaragua is entitled to, or spend 10 years of their working life in one company. It matches the legal minimum in Chile. Or Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela or Bolivia,” Coparmix said.

according to him Center for Global Policy AnalysisMexico ranks as one of the economies with fewer rest days for workers compared to African countries such as Nigeria or Uganda or Asian countries such as Brunei, China, the Philippines, Malaysia or Thailand, which make up the group of economies with fewer than nine rest days. annual leave days.

“That is why we see reform as necessary so that Mexico can enjoy decent vacations, although we repeat that, we must be careful, above all, because it may put at risk the micro and small companies, which are those that allocate a greater proportion of their income To cover legal benefits,” the business entity stressed.

Before that Coparmix Suggested: a gradual increase in vacations so that micro and small companies have a spare period for them; The period of continuous enjoyment of the holiday remains six days and six days, and does not rise to 12 in one exhibition. This is not practical for all companies and even for the workers themselves.

He added that the other suggestion is that Validity start in 2023, so that companies are preparing, not the day after, to publish it, as you can see; It also determines how to furlough workers who currently have 1, 2, and 3 years in the company. “This means that it has been shown in the interim that all those in this assumption reach 12 days.”

“We insist that this reform should be seen as a work for the overall development of corporate collaborators and as an important incentive to productivity,” the trade body concluded.

On the other hand, the Federation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Konkanako-Servitor) who drives Hector Tejadahe indicated that other than the content of the initiative, which they will study carefully to know, in addition to the changes it undergoes in passing through legislative chambers, it always defends the physical and mental health of workers.

“We know that rest periods, such as holidays, play a fundamental role in this, and as a leading body representing 4.5 million economic units in our country, we are of course open to discussing any legislative amendment that is in the interest of both workers as well as businesses (the engine of Mexico’s economy). We are all On the same side for economic growth in Mexico.” Millennium.