Costa Rica Limits 12-Hour Shifts to Private Firms as Deputies Shield Public Workers
COSTA RICA · POLITICS Key Facts —What happened: Deputies voted to exclude public-sector employees from Costa Rica’s planned 4×3 reform of the Labour Code. —How it works: The 4×3 scheme allows 12-hour shifts on four days a week, in exchange for three full days of rest. —Who it applies to: Only private companies running 24-hour […] The post Costa Rica Limits 12-Hour Shifts to Private Firms as…
Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly has voted to exclude public-sector employees from the country's proposed 4×3 labour reform, which would allow private companies to implement 12-hour shifts over four days a week. The reform, currently a bill, has not yet passed, so the new shifts do not legally exist yet. The 4×3 scheme would apply only to private companies with 24-hour production cycles, such as call centres and medical-device plants.
The vote occurred amid a tense week, with a Wall Street Journal investigation on drug violence and a declining homicide rate in the country. The government argues that the 12-hour shifts will boost competitiveness, attract investment, and create jobs, while opponents claim that longer shifts erode rest and family life. Public-sector workers, however, will retain their current schedules regardless of the bill's outcome.
The reform has been debated in Costa Rica for over 20 years, but the latest vote brings it a step closer to implementation for private firms.
Written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
