The Government repeats the idea that Spain adopt the time zone GMT – Yahoo Finance Spain

MADRID (Reuters) – The Spanish minister of Employment, Fátima Báñez, said on Monday that the Government will study the possibility of recovering the Greenwich mean time that Spain abandoned during the franco regime, as part of a package of measures in favour of conciliation in order to rationalise the working hours of the country.

Despite the fact that by its geographical position, Spain should have the GMT time, the dictator Francisco Franco changed during the Second World War in the time zone of the Peninsula of the then nazi Germany (GMT + 1).

The idea of delaying the clock by one hour and return at the same time that Portugal or the United Kingdom is collected in one of the points of agreement of the investiture of the Party Popular with Citizens and already moved a few months ago the president of the Government, Mariano Rajoy.

The PSOE also included this project in their own covenant prior to Citizens, so that the consensus could be secured to take forward the measure in the fragmented Congress of Deputies.

the advocates of the return to the time zone GMT note that delay the hands of the clock would improve the productivity and would lead to a better reconciliation between work and family life, to make more efficient use of the hours of sunlight.

Other experts warn, however, that in order to facilitate the reconciliation is not enough to change the time zone, but an entire culture on the conception of time and on a way of working that rewards the “presenteeism” in excess.

Báñez linked the Monday during an appearance parliamentary change of the time zone with the search of a national covenant for the balance between family and work that allows to shorten the sometimes eternal days in spain.

“we Want the workday to end, with general character, to six in the evening, and to do this we will push for a pact with representatives of companies and workers,” said the minister, who also supported the extension of the paternity leave from two to four weeks.

Among other priorities of your department, Báñez advocated for the creation of a fund of individually-funded for workers at the style known as “backpack austrian”, which could be used in the event of dismissal or as a supplement to retirement.