SHIFTING to a four-day working week with no loss of pay could transform millions of lives and improve workers’ rights, the Scottish Greens have said.
The party has urged employers across the country to support the 4UGUST initiative by the 4 Day Week campaign and Autonomy think tank, by trialling a four-day work week this month for their workers.
As part of the Bute House Agreement that saw the Scottish Greens entering government, the party won support for a series of four-day week trials across different Scottish Government departments. They are now urging other employers to do the same.
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In October the UK government took steps to halt similar trials in local authorities in England, a decision that the Scottish Greens have urged Keir Starmer’s Government to reverse.
It comes as research from the World Economic Forum found that pilots of the four-day working week in Spain increased productivity, improved the physical and mental health of workers and reduced CO2 emissions as a result of fewer cars being on the road during the working week.
The Scottish Greens have already adopted a four-day working week for party and parliamentary office staff, reporting positive results.
Staff said they had a better work-life balance, were less stressed and felt they had more control over their lives.
‘We should be working to live rather than living to work’
The party’s spokesperson for worker’s rights, Maggie Chapman MSP (below), said a four-day working week “would transform work for millions of people”.
She added: “It could have huge benefits for the health and wellbeing of workers. And it could benefit employers and wider society too.
“There are four-day week trials taking place in Scotland, and I hope that as many employers as possible will consider introducing a shorter work week. It is what we have done in the Scottish Greens, and it has had huge benefits.
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“By normalising a four-day week without any loss of pay we can support and empower workers, allow them to spend more time with their families, friends and loved ones or on community and other interests.
“It can also help employers retain staff, manage sickness-absence better, and boost productivity.”
Chapman called on the UK and Scottish governments to work with trade unions and employers to help them in making the shift.
She added: “August is a month that already has bank holidays, making it easier for employers to run trials.
“The Scottish Greens want to build the kind of society where people work to live rather than one where they are living to work.
“We believe in fair and rewarding work and good wages. The normalisation of a four-day working week is an important step on that journey.”
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