Is the employee entitled to reduced working hours in the final year before retirement?

According to Article 148 of the Labor Code 2019 (effective January 1, 2021) which provides regulations on elderly workers as follows:

- Elderly workers are those who continue to work beyond the age specified in Clause 2, Article 169 of this Code.

- Elderly workers have the right to negotiate with employers on reducing daily working hours or applying part-time working policies.

- The State encourages the employment of elderly workers in work suitable for their health to ensure labor rights and effectively utilize human resources.

Thus, from next year, according to the Labor Code 2019, the regulation on the final year before retirement, where workers are entitled to reduced normal working hours or part-time working policies, has been abolished. Instead, the State encourages the employment of elderly workers in work suitable for their health.

Therefore, currently, under the new regulations, there is no provision for reducing daily working hours for elderly workers in their final year before retirement. Hence, your father can negotiate with the enterprise on this matter; if the enterprise agrees, your father can have his daily working hours reduced.

Sincerely!