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Almost a hundred years ago and today’s eight-hour workday seemed like a utopia. But people joined in and met their demands. Unions provide such an example, which explains why a kind of revolution is needed again to establish working hours.
Leftist politicians are no longer marching, but before International Workers’ Day, they are increasingly participating in occasional ideas to reduce working hours. Both they and some unions are already talking about Lithuanians having to work only four days a week.
“We are ready to move to 6 hours of work a day or 4 business days a week. It should be emphasized here that work should be for the same salary that employees receive today, ”says union representative Inga Ruginienė.
The logic is simple: if a welder can do his job for five days in four days, why work for five? Some experts have long said that people now just “sit” during work hours, because they spend a lot of time chatting, drinking coffee, or Facebook. When less time is spent, people are said to be better able to concentrate and work more efficiently. Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis does not lose the idea of shortening the work week.
“It just came to our attention then. Especially when it comes to those groups of employees who are under great psychological pressure: doctors, social workers,” says Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis.
“Absolutely everyone who works shifts can move to that model. The only downside for employers would be to hire more people to work, “says I. Ruginienė.
Only here others ask: where and for what money?
“We do not believe what we say, we do not believe in the promises,” said Jolanta Keburienė, president of the Solidaridad union.
The paradox is that even a union itself disagrees with freer working hours. Jolanta Keburienė, who represents employees of medical institutions, says that, for example, nurses do not think mainly about vacations, but about how to guarantee an adequate salary.
“We believe that that time off will become even more jobs to secure a salary. As long as it is not an adequate workload, adequate remuneration, this shortening is simply politicization, “says J. Keburienė.
Similar ambitions around the world for shorter working hours have been sparked by China’s ambition. The country plans to introduce a 2.5-day weekend to entertain people, spend money, and drive the economy. In Inga Ruginienė’s opinion, something similar could happen in Lithuania.
“When people get more rest, consume more, spend more money, and the same money goes back into the pockets of entrepreneurs and therefore helps the economy spin,” says I. Ruginienė.
It is true that if people just went to another job that day off, the effect mentioned would hardly be there. Employers don’t want to know about reducing work hours for at least the next few years.
“I was very surprised that the speech started now, not at all. It is incomprehensible when we cannot even touch what the curve of the economic recession will be,” says employer representative Danas Arlauskas.
According to Arlauskas, now only a dozen or hundreds of Lithuanian companies have been officially established in a shorter work week. However, statistics are improving, companies are assuming the behavior of Western countries, so the employer representative is convinced that there is no need to change the law here at all.
“If we leave it to ourselves, we will see that it will come naturally. Employees will begin to go to those companies that have a better social package, since, by the way, and now: they receive payments for cars, telephones, cultural events. This path is more understanding for me, “said D. Arlauskas.
However, neither the initiating Social Democrats nor the rulers plan to take real action and register changes in the law, at least for the time being.
“We are one of the countries with the most non-working days. This must be weighed according to whether it will benefit the residents themselves. Will the business be able to pay such wages? But I do not rule out that this is an option to consider,” says Ramūnas Karbauskis, president of the peasantry.
The Dutch, Danish and Norwegians spend at least hours in the European Union. Their working week is slightly over 30 hours, while Lithuanians work 40. The European Union average is 36 hours per week. However, there are no statistics on how many of these hours people actually work, and how many chat with colleagues or engage in strange things.
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