In Spain it's not yet
9 to 5,
nor the 21st century;
In essence, the Spanish day consists of getting up very early, working a very long morning – which inevitably has to be interrupted to satisfy a rumbling stomach – having a long lunch, and then returning to work – without a siesta – to finish a long afternoon that will mean no chance of being home by 6pm, and thus being able to get enough sleep to properly recharge our batteries.
The figures are spectacular: in Spain, by 8pm, only 50 percent of people are back home, and by 10pm, more than 20 percent still haven’t got away from work.
Even the Socialists couldn't change the peoples' habits;
Every attempt to modify these habits has failed so far. For years now, the National Commission for the Rationalization of Spanish Working Hours has been campaigning for something to be done. Back in 2004, the first government of Socialist Prime Minster José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero threw its cap into the ring. It ordered that ministries cease work at 6pm, and recommended that businesses do the same. Nothing happened, and so in September, Congress discussed the issue again. Everybody agreed that Spain had to establish a more European timetable. Health Minister Ana Mato has just asked the private television channels to bring forward their primetime viewing slot. The broadcasters say they will; when the public changes its daily routine. In other words, this is a vicious circle.
Or a virtuous one, if the people like their lives the way they are.
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