Costa Rica 4X3 Workweek Goes to Top Court, Vote Frozen
COSTA RICA · LABOR
Key Facts
- —The country A Central American democracy of about five million people, where medical devices make up close to half of goods exports.
- —What happened Sixteen opposition deputies filed a constitutional consultation on the 4×3 workweek bill (file 24.290) on Monday, 12 October.
- —The effect The final vote, set for Tuesday, 13 October, is frozen until the constitutional court answers.
- —The bill The 4×3 workweek allows voluntary schedules of four 12-hour day shifts and three days off, or three night shifts and four off.
- —The US angle The Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), which speaks for US-linked business, has urged lawmakers to pass it.
- —Still open The court has not said when it will rule. El Observador, a Costa Rican outlet, estimates about two months.
The Costa Rica 4×3 workweek reform stalled on Monday, 12 October, when 16 opposition deputies asked the country’s constitutional court to review it. Their request froze the final vote, which had been set for Tuesday, 13 October.
The bill would let some factories and service centres run four 12-hour shifts followed by three days off. It matters to US investors because it targets medical-device plants, and AmCham, the US-linked business chamber, has urged its approval.
What the Costa Rica 4X3 Workweek Bill Would Change
The 4×3 workweek bill is file 24.290 in the Legislative Assembly, Costa Rica’s single-chamber congress. It creates “exceptional” working hours for sectors that run around the clock.
Day workers could work four 12-hour shifts and then rest for three days. Night workers would work three shifts and rest for four, according to CRHoy, a Costa Rican news site.
It covers advanced manufacturing, the making of medical implements, support services and corporate services operating across time zones. The current Congress, seated on 1 May, amended the text to exclude the public sector.
Workers would earn a 17% premium on day or mixed shifts and 25.5% at night. They would also get 90 minutes a day for meals and rest, counted as paid working time.
The switch must be voluntary and in writing, and employers may not punish staff who refuse. The Assembly passed the bill in a first vote of 31 to 19 on Thursday, 8 October.
Who Filed the Challenge and Why
The request went to the Sala IV, the constitutional chamber of Costa Rica’s Supreme Court. At least 10 deputies must sign such a consultation, and it pauses the 4×3 workweek bill until the judges answer.
Seven signers belong to the Broad Front (FA), the left-wing party led in Congress by José María Villalta. Eight come from National Liberation (PLN), the centrist former ruling party.
The 16th is Claudia Dobles of the Citizen Agenda Coalition (CAC), who holds her party’s only seat. El Observador reported that the Broad Front drafted the filing and lodged it at 12:40 p.m. on Monday.
The court told Assembly president Yara Jiménez that the request is at the admissibility stage, El Observador reported. Monumental, a San José radio station, said the court confirmed receiving it.
On procedure, the filing argues that a pause in the fast-track process, ordered by the previous Congress until 30 April, broke the Assembly’s rules. On substance, it says 12-hour days clash with an International Labour Organization (ILO) convention on maximum daily hours.
Opponents also object that the governing party removed a clause letting workers vote on whether their company adopts the scheme. Broad Front deputy floor leader María Eugenia Román has said her party “will not allow labour guarantees to be reduced”.
Who Backs the Reform
In line with President Laura Fernández’s administration, the governing party says the bill gives investors legal certainty, Teletica, a national TV network, reported. It argues the reform will bring investment and jobs.
Her Sovereign People’s Party (Pueblo Soberano, PPSO) holds a majority and supplied 30 of the 31 votes in the first round. The other came from Abril Gordienko of the centre-right Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC).
PPSO deputy floor leader Juan Manuel Quesada had already called a court filing an “obstructionist” tactic. AmCham’s president said the first vote “marks a decisive advance” toward modernising labour rules.
Uccaep, the umbrella group of Costa Rica’s private business chambers, also wants the bill passed. Its president, Maritza Hernández, said in September that the country “needs to close this process” with a balanced law.
What It Means for You
For US investors, the freeze delays a rule change long sought by export plants in Costa Rica’s free-trade zones. More than 600 companies there produced 67% of the country’s goods exports in the first half of 2026, La Nación reported.
Medical-device makers alone exported about US$5.4 billion in that half-year, with the United States as the main buyer. The US group Boston Scientific, the leading producer, employed about 10,000 people in three plants in July, La Nación said.
Until the court answers and the Assembly holds its final vote, the 4×3 workweek is not law in Costa Rica. Companies planning round-the-clock schedules must keep working under the current Labour Code.
For workers, the trade-off stays the same: longer weekends in exchange for much longer days. Any switch would still need each employee’s written consent.
What Is Not Known
As of Monday, the court said the request was at the admissibility stage, and it has not set a date for its answer. El Observador estimated about two months, which would make a final vote in 2026 unlikely.
La Nación, a leading daily, said the filing freezes the bill for at least a month. The Sala IV first decides whether to admit the request, then rules on form and substance.
It is not known whether the judges will find any of the defects the opposition alleges. The bill can return to the floor for its final vote only after the court has answered.
More: Costa Rica news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Costa Rica 4×3 workweek?
It is a bill that would let some export and service firms schedule four 12-hour day shifts followed by three days off. Night workers would do three shifts and rest four days, and each switch needs the worker’s written consent.
Why was the final vote frozen?
Sixteen opposition deputies filed a constitutional consultation with the Sala IV on 12 October. The 4×3 workweek bill cannot go to its final vote until the court answers.
When will the court decide?
The court has not said. El Observador estimated about two months, which could push the final vote into 2027.
Are 12-hour 4×3 shifts legal in Costa Rica now?
No. The bill passed only its first vote on 8 October and still needs a second and final vote, then the president’s signature.
Sources: El Observador, 16 diputados firmaron consulta de constitucionalidad que suspende avance del proyecto de jornadas 4-3 (cites Sala Constitucional notice to Assembly president), 12 October 2026; CRHoy, 16 diputados consultan plan de jornadas 4×3 ante la Sala IV, 12 October 2026; Monumental, Diputados de oposición presentan consulta ante Sala IV sobre jornadas 4×3 y se frena votación en segundo debate, 12 October 2026; La Nación, 16 diputados de oposición presentan consulta sobre plan de jornadas 4-3 en la Sala Constitucional: estos son sus argumentos, 12 October 2026; AmCham Costa Rica, AmCham celebra aprobación en primer debate de jornadas excepcionales, 8 October 2026; Teletica, Minutos después de su aprobación, Frente Amplio anuncia que llevará jornadas 4/3 a Sala IV, 8 October 2026; El Observador, Frente Amplio señala posibles vicios de constitucionalidad en proyecto de jornadas 4-3, 8 October 2026; El Observador, Uccaep celebra avance de la Asamblea Legislativa en el proyecto de jornadas 4-3, 17 September 2026; La Nación, Boston Scientific, principal empresa de zonas francas (free-zone and medical-device export figures), 30 July 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief