Barcelona agrees on a historic 35-hour working week for municipal employees

Barcelona reduces the municipal working week to 35 hours. The new agreement affects 15,000 employees. It includes improvements in work-life balance and citizen services. Find out how public services will change. What do the unions and the City Council think? Read all the details.

Barcelona City Council and the unions CC.OO., UGT and CSIF have sealed a key agreement after almost a year of intense negotiations. The new collective agreement, which will enter into force in 2026, will regulate the working conditions of around 15,000 municipal workers and represents one of the city’s most significant reforms of the past two decades.

The pact stands out for reducing the working week to 35 hours for most staff on standard hours, eliminating compulsory afternoons. It also introduces a digital disconnection protocol and annual assistance of 2,500 euros for those who reduce their working hours to care for children aged between 6 and 13.

The agreement, backed by 13 of the 15 representatives at the negotiating table, also provides for extended opening hours at the Citizen Service Offices and the Barcelona Housing Office Network. Prevention of occupational risks is strengthened and equality in the municipal environment is promoted.

Among the specific measures, the agreement seeks to give greater stability to teams responsible for cover in public nurseries and at the IMSS, as well as continuing the workforce’s digital training to improve the efficiency of public services.

The City Council considers this agreement a historic milestone, as such broad consensus had not been achieved for 20 years. In addition to improving working conditions, the agreement aims to raise the quality of municipal services and citizen care.