"I like this formula: fewer holidays and more vacation days. We have been talking with the Minister of Finance about taking a measure of this nature," said Jeannette Jara, Minister of Labor of Chile.

In the run-up to the Fiestas Patrias holidays in Chile, and amidst constant questions about the impacts that this could have on the economy, the Minister of Labor, Jeannette Jara, provided some information.

Speaking to Radio Pauta , he said that the Chilean government has not ruled out moving forward with the formula used by some European countries, with more legal vacation days for workers and fewer holidays.

"I like this formula: fewer holidays and more vacation days. We have been talking with the Minister of Finance (Mario Marcel) about being able to make a measure of this nature," he said.

In the same context, the Secretary of State stressed that September 18 and 19 are "non-negotiable holidays" (not the 20th), with the exception of places serving food and those that offer alternatives to celebrate the National Holidays.

"We will be deployed in the restaurants, monitoring the part-time contracts of the workers and ensuring compliance with workplace safety measures," he said.

INSPECTION OF BUSES

In parallel, and given the large number of people who will travel around the country, the Chilean Labor Directorate (DT) will monitor the driving and rest hours of the crews of intercity passenger buses.

The objective is to ensure that crews begin their shifts with the legal breaks previously taken, thus guaranteeing the road safety of drivers, assistants and passengers.

Controls will focus exclusively on buses that make trips of more than five hours.

To do this, the inspectors will go up to the cabins and print, from the automated device installed next to the steering wheel, the proof of registration of the workday and rest previously completed by each member of the crew.