According to news sources, the representatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly today, Sunday, March 10, approved the general outline of the bill to reduce working hours in offices to 40 hours and to increase weekend holidays to two days. Iranian news agencies reported that these changes were part of the general outline of the amendment to Article 87 of the Management Services Law, which was approved with 146 votes in favor, 45 votes against, and 9 abstentions out of a total of 215 representatives present at the session. Reports indicate that the representatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, in a public session on January 29 of this year, reviewed a request from a group of representatives to prioritize the report of the Social Commission regarding the amendment to Article 87 of the Management Services Law and agreed to prioritize this bill. The spokesperson for the Social Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly justified this action by stating that in all developed countries, the working hours per week are 40 hours. Hossein Goudarzi emphasized that in Iran, there are 52 Fridays off in a year, and 26 days are national and ceremonial holidays, which means our total holidays in a year are 65% of the global average. Therefore, increasing holidays is essential. One of the side issues of this bill is the determination of weekend holidays, where experts believe that having Friday and Saturday off would better align with international working days. Opponents, who mainly pursue religious and ideological issues, advocate for Thursday and Friday off, as they believe that having Saturday off is based on Jewish beliefs. If Thursday and Friday are holidays, considering that Saturday and Sunday are holidays in other countries, only three days a week would remain for economic and financial exchanges. The parliament's resolution, if finally approved, requires the Guardian Council's confirmation to become law. The consequences of inflation; workers without fixed wages are concerned about wage justice. The minimum holiday bonus for workers is 10.6 million tomans; the scent of the holiday is the scent of poverty.
Approval of the General Outline of the Bill to Increase Weekend Holidays and Reduce Working Hours
The Iranian parliament has approved a bill to reduce working hours to 40 per week and increase weekend holidays to two days. This decision reflects a push for better work-life balance, although it faces opposition based on religious beliefs regarding weekend days. The bill's final approval requires confirmation from the Guardian Council.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
The Iranian parliament approved a bill to reduce working hours to 40 per week and increase weekend holidays to two days. This move aims to enhance work-life balance, although it faces opposition based on differing religious views regarding weekend days.
- The bill was approved with 146 votes in favor, 45 against, and 9 abstentions.
- The final approval of the bill requires confirmation from the Guardian Council.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Iran has a history of labor issues, including long working hours and limited holidays, which have been points of contention among workers and activists. This bill represents a potential shift towards better labor standards.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
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Translation confidence: 85%