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Britain, Germany, Spain and other countries should adopt a four-day work week to help their economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a group of left-wing politicians and union representatives around the world. Europe, Mediafax reports.
A four-day workweek would help combat the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, according to a letter sent to Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and other leaders.
The letter highlights the “opportunity” to rethink work patterns and reduce energy consumption, an advantage in efforts to combat the climate crisis.
“Throughout history, reduced working hours have been used in times of crisis and economic recession. For the progress of civilization, the time has come to seize this opportunity and move on to the reduced work week ”, the letter shows.
Proposals to establish a four-day workweek have sparked growing interest in recent years, thanks to a small but growing number of companies claiming the move has led to higher productivity and better mental health. employees.
In the UK, a recent study indicates that a four-day work week in the public sector would create up to half a million new jobs and help limit the rise in unemployment in the coming months.
The researchers note that the pandemic is accelerating adoption of this idea, and many of the benefits of this program theoretically overlap with the benefits of working from home.
However, the idea is at the same time strongly rejected by some center-right business and political groups. The Confederation of British Industry, the largest lobby group for British businesses, argued in 2019 that formalizing a four-day work week would be “a step in the wrong direction.” Some center-right economists believe that less work would affect living standards.
In the summer, the German union IG Metall, the largest in Germany, called for the introduction of a four-day work week to save thousands of jobs in the automotive sector in the context of the crisis.
However, shortly after the call, the Volkswagen chief of staff said recently that he did not see the need to introduce a shorter workweek at the company’s factories to protect jobs.
