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The Spanish Empire established the 8-Hour Workday 300+ years before any Liberal Democracy
On this International Workers’ Day, let’s honour a remarkable yet often overlooked milestone in labour history: the world’s first legally mandated eight-hour workday, established by King Philip II of Spain in 1593.
Through the Ordenanzas de Felipe II, specifically Title VI, Law VI, the king decreed:
“All workers shall work eight hours a day, four in the morning and four in the afternoon, in fortifications and factories, scheduled at the most convenient times to avoid the sun’s intensity, as deemed appropriate by the engineers, ensuring that, without missing any possible work, their health and preservation are also considered.”
This pioneering regulation, documented in the Recopilación de Leyes de los Reinos de las Indias, applied not only to Spanish labourers but also extended to indigenous workers in the American viceroyalties. Notably, mine workers were granted a reduced workday of seven hours to safeguard their health.
Furthermore, indigenous communities operated under their own legal systems, known as “Indian republics,” where they elected their own mayors and maintained certain autonomies.
Centuries before the industrial labour movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, this royal decree recognized the importance of balancing work with health and rest. Today, we remember this early commitment to workers’ rights and continue to advocate for fair and humane labour practices worldwide.
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