March 6, 2026
On March 3 of this year, the Decree amending Sections IV and XI of Section A of Article 123 of the Mexican Constitution, concerning the reduction of working hours, was enacted and published in the Official Federal Gazette.
The Decree was enacted in the same terms in which it was approved by the Mexican Senate on February 11 and previously informed by Basham. Among its key aspects are the gradual reduction of the statutory workweek from 48 to 40 hours; the continuation of a six-day workweek; amendments to the rules governing overtime; the prohibition against reducing employees’ salaries; and the prohibition on employees under eighteen years of age working overtime.
Additionally, during the morning press conference held on March 2, 2026, the head of the Labor Ministry, Marath Baruch Bolaños López, announced that 24 local congresses had already approved the constitutional reform, thereby allowing for its official publication.
Following publication of the Decree, the Mexican Congress has 90 calendar days to enact the corresponding amendments to secondary legislation, primarily the Federal Labor Law. As part of this legislative harmonization process, a transition period for the implementation of the new overtime rules may be introduced, as well as an obligation for employers to implement an electronic timekeeping system, as contemplated in several reform proposals. In this context, it will be essential to closely monitor forthcoming legislative developments.
Further details regarding this reform may be found in our February 23, 2026, bulletin, available at the following link: https://basham.com.mx/the-reform-to-reduce-the-workweek-moves-forward/
This bulletin was prepared with the support of Gabriela Guadarrama García.
The labor and employment lawyers of Basham, Ringe y Correa, S.C., remain for any further comments or questions.
Sincerely,
Jorge G. de Presno Arizpe
David Puente Tostado
Luis Álvarez Cervantes