Due to the emergency in the electricity sector, the Government of Ecuador will allow the working day to be modified

() – The Government of Ecuador published this Tuesday an agreement that allows employers and workers to modify working hours while the country faces the emergency that affects the electricity sector.

Signed by the Minister of Labor, Ivonne Núñez, the document states that the employer and worker may agree on a different day than the contractual one for as long as the energy crisis lasts.

The agreement proposes two scenarios: 1) a 10-hour day, from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 2) a 10-hour day, from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“The agreements that are established may not exceed forty (40) hours per week; in the case of exceeding said day, payments for additional or overtime hours must be met in accordance with article 55 of the Labor Code,” the document says. , which will be in effect from this Tuesday until the emergency in the electrical system ends.

It adds that workers may report to the Ministry of Labor any anomalies or non-compliance that occur.

This new agreement is announced in the midst of the difficult situation that Ecuador’s main hydroelectric plants are going through, which are unable to supply the country’s demand.

The Mazar plant, located in the province of Azuay, is operating below its limit, and Coca Codo Sinclair, in the province of Napo, is unable to work under optimal conditions, according to reports from the National Electricity Operator (Cenace) published by Ecuavisa, affiliate.

Meanwhile, the situation and the constant blackouts cause discomfort among citizens, according to numerous testimonies collected by .

President Daniel Noboa and his ministers attribute the problem to a lack of maintenance and investment that, they say, has been going on for several administrations.