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Axios Latino is the newsletter that summarizes the key news for Latino communities throughout the hemisphere every Tuesday and Thursday.
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1. The topic to highlight: A labor experiment in Latin America sets guidelines
Transitioning to a four-day work week has already been successful in places like the UK.
And although there has been no progress in adopting it in the United States, efforts to reduce working hours are already gaining strength in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Overview:
People in Latin America work between 39 and 44 hours a week on average, while in some countries the law allows 48-hour workweeks.
It is one of the regions with the highest average working hours, after Asia.
In the United States, those who work full time work at most 42 hours a week on average, according to that country's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The International Labor Organization recommends a work week of a maximum of 40 hours, arguing that working longer generally generates health problems or leads to workplace accidents due to burnout, without increasing productivity.
News Boost:
The Dominican Republic will begin a six-month pilot program in February using a four-day work week, mimicking one in the United Kingdom that saw lower levels of worker stress and increased employee retention, according to a report released on last year.
The one in the Dominican Republic is the first national effort of this type in Latin America and the Caribbean.
It could serve as a regional example.
Details:
Under the program, several public and private companies will reduce the full-time work week to 36 hours without decreasing wages.
Companies such as the telecommunications giant Claro and the important construction company IMCA will participate.
A local university will monitor and evaluate the efforts.
The Ministry of Labor of the Dominican Republic says the intention of the pilot program is to develop a mechanism that "prioritizes people, improving health and well-being and encouraging sustainable productivity."
Beyond:
Other countries in the region have also begun to address their long work hours.
Sarah Grillo/Axios
Last year, Chile began a gradual reduction in the number of hours that employers can make people work, going from 45 hours currently to 40 per week by 2028. A law passed in Colombia last year also provides for reductions working hours from 48 to 42 by 2026.
The Mexican Congress has yet to discuss a similar legislative proposal that would reduce the work week from 44 to 40 hours.
Noteworthy:
In all three countries, hours can be spread over as many days as necessary, rather than being limited to four working days.
In his own words:
"As it is not advisable to shoehorn the situation because each case is unique, it would be very convenient to have flexibility when reviewing workweek policies so that different workers, depending on their circumstances, can make the best use of the calendar." reduced," says NoemĂ Enchautegui de JesĂşs, a psychology professor at American University in Washington, DC who studies issues of employment disparities and workplace stressors.
He points out that beyond Latin America, if four-week work weeks are also adopted in the United States, that "would greatly benefit Latinos and black workers," given that they are the employees who tend to have the most difficulties when requesting time off for issues such as medical appointments. .
Realistic view:
One problem is that Latin American economies have a lot of informality, that is, many people work in unregulated jobs without benefits, such as tending street market stalls.
Therefore, the potential benefits of reducing work hours may not have an effect on a substantial sector of the population.
For example, the Inter-American Development Bank estimates that in the Dominican Republic 55% of workers are employed informally.
2. Sundance in Latin hands
Eugene Hernandez is the first person of Latino origins to direct the Sundance Film Festival.
In an interview with reporter Kim BojĂłrquez of Axios after the closing of the 2024 edition of the festival, Hernandez said that his expectation is that next year they can pave the way for even more diverse film voices.
Big picture:
The prestigious festival, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, concluded on Sunday.
The top prize was awarded to the film
In the Summers
, directed by Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio, co-starring Residente (René Pérez Joglar) and produced by a new entertainment company led by American Latinos.
Lacorazza Samudio also won the award for best director.
Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Film Festival, on January 18, 2024.Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images
Another of the great awards, the jury prize for best international film, was awarded to the Mexican film
Sujo.
While a documentary about Frida Kahlo won the award for best editing and another documentary about the life of Argentine gauchos was recognized for its handling of sound.
Latinos were only 2.3% of the protagonists of films made in the United States for the big screen, according to the 2023 UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report. While Latinos represent almost 20% of the US population.
In his own words:
"You see the progress and you realize we have more to do," Hernandez said.
"The work doesn't end. It's never enough. We have to keep working to achieve that representation."
He celebrated that "we see a variety of stories coming from, well, not only Latino filmmakers from the United States, but also stories that come from Mexico."
Hernandez said Sundance is a place where many new or budding film artists can hone their skills and make connections in the entertainment industry.
"I think there are a lot of things happening that are going to lay the groundwork for what will be even greater representation at Sundance next year," Hernandez added.
"I hope that the success we saw with individual films and filmmakers this year will be reflected in the future as well," he said.
3. Colombia, besieged by forest fires
A series of forest fires in Colombia that have already burned tens of thousands of hectares could extend into March, according to warnings from authorities who this weekend declared a national disaster situation.
News boost:
With the declaration of Gustavo Petro's Government, more funds will be allocated for efforts to put out the fires and for the reconstruction of affected areas.
The emergency will initially last 12 months and may be extended for another year.
The National Disaster Risk Management Unit said Saturday there were still 17 active fires.
According to local media, at least two people have died since the fires began.
Big picture:
South America has had a winter with record high temperatures.
This has caused longer droughts in certain areas (including part of the Amazon River basin of which Colombia is part) with which forest fires spread more easily.
A recent study found that the natural phenomenon of El Niño has worsened the situation, but that human-caused climate change is one of the main reasons behind the higher temperatures.
4. The Venezuelan opposition promises to continue fighting
The standard bearer of the Venezuelan opposition,
MarĂa Corina Machado said this Monday that she will not give up her candidacy for the presidency regardless of a recent ruling that prevents her from running.
News Boost:
Machado was declared ineligible to run Friday night, when the Supreme Court of Justice dismissed her appeal against a disqualification imposed by a state comptroller, saying Machado cannot run for public office for 15 years.
Chavistas and allies of Nicolás Maduro essentially control the Court, the state comptroller's office and other branches of the Government.
Machado said yesterday Monday at a press conference that the opposition coalition, the Unitary Platform, will fight against the ruling and that "whether Maduro wants it or not, he is going to face me."
Why it matters:
Last year, the Venezuelan government signed an agreement with the opposition promising to have free and fair elections in the second half of 2024. In exchange, the United States agreed to lift some sanctions on Venezuela's oil, gold and gas industries. .
The Organization of American States said in a statement Sunday that Machado's ban makes clear that the Venezuelan regime "had no intention of allowing clean and transparent elections to be held."
The European Union and nations such as Chile and Guatemala criticized the decision of the Venezuelan TSJ.
The United States said it will reinstate energy sanctions if, by April, the Venezuelan regime does not allow opposition candidates to run for public office.
Between the lines:
Disabling members of the opposition has been a repeated tactic of Chavismo, as the political movement is known since Hugo Chávez assumed the presidency in 1999.
After Chávez's death in 2013, Maduro came to power in elections plagued by accusations of fraud and his government has continued efforts to disqualify him.
For example, the candidate Maduro ran against in 2013, Henrique Capriles, was also disqualified shortly after.
5. Summary of key news in Latin America and the Caribbean
1.
The Argentine Congress delayed
until tomorrow, Wednesday, the final debate of a massive reform project proposed by President Javier Milei.
It should have been debated on Monday.
Among other things, the bill would privatize state-owned companies, cutting jobs, and give Milei the power to govern by decree on economic, energy and security matters.
After several major unions went on strike last week in rejection of the so-called omnibus law, the Milei Government modified it so that the decree power lasts one year instead of the two years initially proposed.
2. Mexican Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas,
the son of a Mexican presidential candidate who was assassinated in March 1994, called this week for a pardon for the confessed murderer, Mario Aburto.
Aburto was arrested shortly after the assassination, but lines of investigation have circulated for decades about another possible shooter and about the possible involvement of the Government of that time.
Colosio Riojas said that letting Aburto out of prison almost 30 years after the incident will help the family provide emotional closure to the issue.
6.
Hi-yah
against abuse
A taekwondo program in Guatemala is helping girls, boys and women defend themselves in an area where sexual violence is widespread.
Details: The
Taekwondo for me
program
was created by Nataly Pac Coti, a social worker who has practiced this sport since she was a teenager.
Martial arts classes are intended to teach self-defense strategies and also provide a therapy and rehabilitation component for those who have survived an assault.
Pac Coti says she was inspired to create the program because taekwondo helped her personally after she was abused.
He obtained the support of the national taekwondo federation, which provides him with the space to train.
Free classes are held on Saturday mornings in Quetzaltenango, which has one of the highest rates of violence against women in Guatemala.
In her own words:
"Once again I feel like an empowered, strong, brave woman," Reyna, a woman who takes classes with the program, told Telemundo.
Thanks for reading us!
We return on Thursday.
And thanks to Carlos Cunha, Bruno GarcĂa, Eulimar Núñez and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath for helping review and edit.
If you want to share your experiences with us or send us suggestions and comments, send an email to
axioslatino@axios.com
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Do you want to read any of the previous editions?
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