After learning that 45% of workers spend their workday standing without breaks—35% standing for over eight hours a day and 47% standing between four and eight hours daily—the Senate of the Republic has approved the “Ley Silla,” or Chair Law.
The Chair Law mandates that women and men working in self-service shops, markets, commercial establishments, or similar roles have the right to take breaks and use chairs with backrests during their workday.
In a statement, spokespersons from the Senate emphasized that this legislation requires employers to provide sufficient seats or chairs for workers. The law applies to the service, commerce, and related sectors, ensuring that employees can rest intermittently or fully perform their duties while seated.
Once the law is published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF), employees in roles that typically require standing—such as police officers, security guards, restaurant and hotel staff, cashiers, seamstresses, domestic workers, and others—will have the legal right to sit at certain times during their shifts.
If the nature of their work does not allow sitting, employers must provide short rest periods several times a day. Each company is required to establish internal regulations outlining these rest times.
Failure to comply with the legislation will result in fines ranging from $1,350 to $13,500 USD. Repeat violations will lead to a Labor Inspection trial.
Employers, take note—this law is not optional! Rest assured, workers, your breaks are now a legal right.
