How Practical Would It Be To Work Just

[emmie]

four days a week, as suggested by the Labour party, I know some like myself are retired, but how would it work in practice.

[TonyV]

pixie don't know your business but your pricing needs to be spread over all clients to allow for your inconvenience.

[pixie374]

I've usually worked a 7 day week. We seem to be moving towards 24/7 nowadays, I genuinely can't see how reducing hours would be helpful.

[pixie374]

It would only be inconvenient for them, Dave. It's homecare.

[emmie]

i can't either. ^^

[TonyV]

Emmie at the weekend had lots of people that couldn't work weekdays but wanted to earn some money when other half could look after children.

[ummmm]

Pixie...I don't think they will be reducing hours. You'll fit your hours into less days.

Not very practicable with young children though.

It could only really work for 24/7 establishments.

[pixie374]

It wouldn't work for those either, ummm... ours need calls at times they need them. Doing ten in one day, and none the next, so nobody could get out of bed... just wouldn't work.
Have they thought this through, or is it really just about office workers?

[maggiebee]

Friend of mine is a midwife. She works 4 x 10 hour shifts per week. Has done for years and the system seems to work well.

[TheDevil]

It would be annoying regarding postal service if instead of 5 business days in the calendar week there were 4 business days.

[pixie374]

Yes, I can see it could work as a job share (it already does), but do people just earn less if they cut down hours? Or is someone somewhere paying for that?

[THECORBYLOON]

The plan is to work fewer hours with no loss of earnings.

https://labour.org.uk/press/mcdonnell-commits-labour-shorter-working-week-expanded-free-public-services-part-labours-vision-new-society/

"So I can tell you today that the next Labour government will reduce the average full time working week to 32 hours within a decade. A shorter working week with no loss of pay. We’ll end the opt-out from the European Working Time Directive. As we roll out sectoral collective bargaining, we’ll include negotiations over working hours. We’ll require working hours to be included in the legally binding sectoral agreements between employers and trade unions. This will allow unions and employers to decide together how best to reduce hours for their sector. And we’ll set up a Working Time Commission with the power to recommend to government on increasing statutory leave entitlements as quickly as possible without increasing unemployment.”

[emmie]

how is business going to cope with a 4 day week with their employees on full pay?

[hc4361]

The businesses will be open and working as many days for as many hours as they like. I know very few people that work 9-5 Monday to Friday.

[emmie]

hc i find that surprising.

[pixie374]

Thank you, corby x the extra money without productivity will have to come from somewhere. Are we just looking at extra unemployment?

[New Judge]

//Friend of mine is a midwife. She works 4 x 10 hour shifts per week. Has done for years and the system seems to work well.//

As far as I can see that's not the proposal, maggie. There would be no point in (even) a Labour government simply decreeing that instead of working 5 x 8 hrs workers will work 4 x 10 hours. The idea is that those on 5 x 8 hrs will work 4 x 8rs for the same pay and conditions.

How practical would it be? Completely impractical. Many businesses (about which the Labour Party know next to nothing) are struggling. This is especially so with shops and pubs and to suddenly increase their paybill by 25% would prove disastrous for them. It may work in Town Halls (where Labour has considerable experience). Staff there are mainly employed to answer the phone to tell their council taxpayers that nothing can be done for them and their problem is not something the council can help with. It will just mean their callers have to wait 25% longer for an answer. Either that or the council tax will be increased by a similar sum. But it won't work elsewhere.

It is a typical Labour soundbite - appeal to the masses, get their votes and we'll work out the details should we ever get a sniff of power. Like I said on another thread, before the election we will all be promised a free house and our own individual hospital.

[pixie374]

Actually, from Corby's link, they are only proposing to reduce "full-time" to 35 hours, and it has already been reduced to 37. So maybe, not much difference. If you are able to work full days, don't have children etc. They seem to be promising much more than they actually mean, anyway.

[hc4361]

Why, emmie? Shopworkers work shifts - my local Tesco is open 24 hours a day. My librarian friends work late nights and weekends. My solicitor friend's firm is open 2 late nights a week and Saturdays. My friends that work for the emergency services, even the civilians, work shifts over 24 hours 7 days a week. The local nursery is open from 6.30 am to 8pm. Even some council staff work weekends and late evenings. Most of the factory workers I know work shifts over 7 days. I am wracking my brain trying to think of anyone I know that works 9-5 Monday to Friday and I'm genuinely struggling.

[New Judge]

The "four day week" is being used wrongly to describe this proposal. It's this that matters (from Corby's link):

"So I can tell you today that the next Labour government will reduce the average full time working week to 32 hours within a decade."

The majority of people who work full time are not blessed with a 32 hour week. Most of them work anything between 35 and 40 hour (excluding overtime). This proposal will place huge additional costs on employers.

[naomi24]

//how is business going to cope with a 4 day week with their employees on full pay? //

Its customers will pay in price hikes .... that's if it has any customers left. Nothing comes for nothing.