Unison, Britain’s biggest union demands a four-day week

22 comments

1. Interestingly, a not insignificant number of public and charity sector workers I’ve spoken to do not want a 4-day week. They want to be paid properly to be able to deliver the services the public needs. Dropping to a 4-day week for them just means longer days or output dropping.

   The perceived benefit of being able to recruit more people because the 4-day week is more attractive isn’t working, which is then just damaging the morale of everyone else who can’t pick up the slack.

2. The horrifying truth is that this is possible and for the last 50 years at least this has been possible. All that extra time you could have spent with your friends and family has been stolen. I know for one how much my dad struggled until his untimely death. An extra day a week with him would have been irreplaceable. 

   Your life is worth nothing to capitalists. 

3. There are some companies that are doing this but they’re doing it in a screwed up way. One company I know of have it as an option, but rather than being paid the same for reduced hours, they’ve increased the hours on the four days so its a ‘four day week’. Its absolute bullshit and goes against the entire original idea of a four day week.

4. I fucking hate this “it won’t work for everyone so don’t try” mentality in this country. Imagine if we treated everything else like this idea.

   “Well we can’t solve some murders so we just won’t do any investigations”

   “Some people die from cancer so we better not treat anyone.”

   Of course it’s not a light switch. But some places could do it, then others may follow suit. We can train more GP’s and I would imagine the job would be more bearable if you had more time off to recuperate.

5. Yeah, like that’s going to happen. I’d be happy if I could just work a 5 day week.

6. It’s not even currently a five day week for all. But I also think we have bigger fires that need tackling with employment rights.

7. You know what’s better than a 4-day work week?

   A 3-day work week.

   You need to aim a little higher, darlings.

8. Has Unison implemented this for their own staff? They don’t seem to mention it anywhere on their job adverts, and you’d think it’s something that they’d be making a big deal about as a benefit.

9. There are a lot of office jobs that could easily be 4 days. A lot of time is spent staring at a screen if you’re productive.

10. 4 day weeks are great, been doing them for years. 

    Personally think a 10hrs x 4 is much better than 8hrs x 5. 

11. Unfortuantely where I work, the 4 day work weeks means longer hours on the 4 days instead of a day less, with no extra hours with the same pay. The whole idea I thought was 4 days at 7.5 hours for the same pay as 5 days at 7.5 hours

12. I know it shouldn’t be an either/or, but if I had to choose between being in the office full time for a four day week and a five day 50/50 hybrid week, I think I would choose the latter.

13. I feel a 4 day (9-5 etc) only works if most people have that and are actually banned from doing more.

    Otherwise it will just mean poorer people will end up working more.

14. We need to strike for it then. A mass general strike is the only language the rich will listen to, otherwise it will happen but slowly be rolled back. We saw that happen with WFH already.

15. I could see the already struggling public sector taking a massive blow if a 4 day working week came in. The public sector would almost certainly not adopt a 4 day week meaning their recruitment would suffer and people are even more likely to leave for jobs in the private sector who do introduce it.

    Source: Me. I would try to leave.

16. The 40 hour week was designed so one of you would work and your partner would do the chores, shopping, cooking, looking after the children etc.

    Now both people need to work and do all of the chores at the weekend. Some need a part time job or side hustle just to make ends meet. We are all exhausted.

17. Interesting from this article that South Cambs is the first council to trial 4 day weeks. I live in South Cambs and haven’t heard about this. Certainly from my perspective I have had no change in council services. Have had to speak to the council on a few things in the past few months and the service has been good.

18. The rich have most of the money extracted from the system, they will have to put some money back in to facilitate 4 day week for staff but the rich want ALL the money not give something back to the masses ☹️

19. No point doing a 4 day work week if it’s still gonna be the same hours as a 5 day work week. Basically a shift change.

    If it’s actually 32 hours 9am-5pm then if possible why not? I think everyone’s overall happiness and productivity would increase.

    Everything is half arsed when it’s Friday anyway from places I’ve worked at in my experience

20. I’d love a four day work week but I don’t trust companies and the government to make sure that it comes through with the stipulation that work load is not increased too.

    If I’m gonna get forced to do 5 days worth of work in 4 days I’d rather just work the 5 days. Same if they just condense the work week down, I don’t want to do four 9 and a half hour days to do my 37 hours, nor do I want to take a pay cut.

    I can’t see all of the above not happening as much as I would love a four day work week.

21. First we gave the Saturday afternoons of. They wanted the whole day. And now this! Bloody sosherlust’ses, never satisfied.

22. They are emboldened by a labour government with a super majority. A 4 day week would be catastrophic for the economy. How would we compete with the rest of the world that works 5 days a week and has higher productivity. Unions want a race to the bottom.