Homes and Shares in Spain & Morocco

Spaniards wake up to the end of the siesta
By Leslie Crawford in Madrid
Published: December 27 2005 18:30 | Last updated: December 27 2005 18:30

Spain’s Socialist government on Tuesday officially abolished the siesta, the extended lunch break.


A new law decrees that lunch breaks will be limited to one hour to allow civil servants to clock off at 6pm.

Jordi Sevilla, minister for public administration and a father of three, said the aims of the law were to put an end to the “chaotic hours” worked in the civil service and allow Spaniards to reconcile work and family life.

He said he hoped private sector companies would follow suit. “We are trying to set an example by rationalising the working hours of civil servants,” he said.

“Henceforth, lunchtime will be from 12 to 1pm, like the rest of Europe, instead of between 2 and 4pm. This will allow civil servants to leave work at six, instead of eight or nine in the evening.”

Mr Sevilla said he wanted civil servants to “achieve the same amount of work in less time”.

The Círculo de Empresarios, a business lobby group, said it thought Spain’s long lunches were an inefficient way to break up the day.

“This is costing the economy as much as 8 per cent of gross domestic product,” said Claudio Boada, its president.

Spain ranks 10th in the number of hours worked per year, although productivity lags far behind countries that work fewer hours.

Ignacio Buqueras, head of Spain’s national commission for the rationalisation of working hours, said the current working regime was “sexist” and dated back to a time when most women stayed at home.

Some companies have already adapted. Coca-Cola Ibérica employees get 45 minutes for lunch and clock off at 6pm.

Still, change will not be easy. “The lunch is the main way personal relationships are established,” says Alejandra Moore, a communications consultant.

“I cannot imagine achieving anything meaningful over a 45-minute lunch.”