The wait is almost over. The entry into force of the so-called Silla Law is just around the corner, and workers are taking a small step forward in the area of rest breaks at work.
The reform was enacted last year, and a countdown to its implementation formally began on December 19th, when it was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF).
Amendments to several articles of the Federal Labor Law (LFT) stipulated that, once the decree was published in the DOF, it would take 180 days for it to take effect. This deadline ends on Tuesday, June 17th, in less than a week.
What is the Chair Law?
Among the many provisions that were amended, the most important seeks to prohibit employers from requiring workers to stand for the entire workday.
Instead, workplaces must provide a chair with a backrest so that workers can rest periodically throughout the workday, primarily in the service, commercial, and similar workplaces.
“Seats or chairs with backrests must be located in specific areas designated for this purpose within the workplace,” reads the decree published in December of last year.
Although the law gives employers the freedom to establish, in the workplace’s internal regulations, the rest periods that workers must observe during the workday, it also includes all the rules that regulate workers’ right to use chairs with backrests.
Are there penalties for non-compliance with the Chair Law?
Like most regulations, a penalty is imposed if those responsible for ensuring compliance do not comply with the law.
According to the decree, employers will be penalized with a fine ranging from 250 to 2,500 Units of Measurement and Update (UMA), equivalent to 282,850 pesos.
What comes next after the Chair Law comes into effect?
The decree establishes other deadlines. Starting June 17, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) has 30 calendar days to issue regulations on the risks associated with prolonged vertical postures. This information must be considered by employers.
In addition, the 180-day period will begin for companies to adapt their internal regulations to the new labor regulation.
With the entry into force of the Silla Law, Mexico joins other Latin American countries that have regulated a provision related to workers’ rest periods in the workplace for several decades.
Who introduced the Chair Law?
The bill remained on hold in Congress for almost two years. The initiative was originally presented by the Citizen Movement party in the Senate of the Republic in September 2023.
It wasn’t until December 2024 that the political parties showed their willingness, and the legislative process for its approval and eventual enactment began.
Source: elfinanciero
