Yolanda Díaz, Spain’s leftwing labor minister, has expressed concerns over the potential mental health risks associated with working past 10 pm, while also criticizing the country’s tradition of keeping restaurants open until the early hours. The debate surrounding Spain’s vibrant nightlife and the extensive working hours required to sustain it gained prominence following Díaz’s characterization of the late-night restaurant culture as out of sync with the rest of Europe.
Díaz remarked, “A country that has its restaurants open at one o’clock in the morning is not reasonable. It is madness to continue extending opening hours until who knows what time.” Her comments prompted swift responses from the opposition People’s Party and business associations, with Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the regional president of Madrid, accusing critics of wanting people to be “bored and at home.”
Ayuso, a staunch critic of the central government, defended Spain’s nightlife, asserting it as the best in the world, providing a lively atmosphere and employment opportunities. The Spain by Night federation, representing leisure and entertainment groups, emphasized the importance of the country’s nightlife as a tourist attraction and rejected any proposals questioning the Spanish lifestyle.
The core of the debate lies in Spain’s ongoing discussion about the demanding workday, which often extends beyond 11 hours, resulting in dinner being consumed when others in Europe are heading to bed. In 2016, the People’s Party pledged to work towards shortening the working day and improving work-life balance, but this week, its politicians emerged as some of the most vocal critics of Díaz’s remarks.
In response to the criticisms, Díaz clarified that her primary objective is to protect workers’ rights. She affirmed her party’s support for leisure and emphasized the need to reduce the working day to allow people to enjoy life. Díaz pointed out the potential mental health risks associated with night shifts after 10 pm, citing studies that link shift work to poor mental health.
Díaz stressed the importance of compensating those who work past 10 pm and highlighted the need for improved labor conditions for restaurant workers. Earlier this year, she initiated negotiations with labor unions and business associations to reduce the legal workweek from 40 to 37.5 hours without a loss of pay, a move that could impact up to 12 million workers in the country.
“Cutting working hours not only means working less but working better,” Díaz emphasized in her social media statements, underlining the seriousness of the matter for the lives of working men and women in Spain.
