The Spanish Prime Minister has announced moves to cut the working day by two hours and bring an end to the siesta, in an attempt to bring the country into line with its European counterparts.
Mariano Rajoy, the head of the centre-left coalition government, wants to scrap the universally-observed three-hour midday break.
Mr Rajoy said: "I will find a consensus to make sure the working day ends at 6pm."
Spanish workers currently tend to start work at 10am, staying until 2pm when they have a siesta up to three hours before leaving at 8pm.
The siesta was founded historically on the basis of allowing the country's largely agricultural workers to avoid the searing midday heat, the Times reports.
Yet despite having more working hours than their German counterparts, Spanish workers' average productivity is far lower.
A 2013 Spanish parliamentary commission said: "We need more flexible working hours, to cut our lunch breaks, to streamline business meetings by setting time limits for them, and to practise and demand punctuality."
The report explained cutting the siesta would raise the quality of life, raise the low birth rates and reduce marriage breakdowns.
It is thought Mr Rajoy is backing this popular decision in an attempt to win votes in the upcoming general election in June.
He is also looking to return Spain back to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as it is currently one hour ahead of London, the same as eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic.
This odd time arrangement dates back to 1942 when former dictator General Franco showed his support for Hitler's Nazi regime by adopting German Time.
