(Image source: Imagoeconomica)
Short working week in Italy: the CISL asks to try it, after the positive results of the trial in the United Kingdom
Introducing the short working week also in Italy: this is the CISL proposal after reading the results of the trials in the United Kingdom.
“The news of the successful trial of the short week in the UK in 61 companies, with interesting results for both companies and workers, must open a comparison between social partners in Italy as well in the same direction. It’s time to regulate work especially in the manufacturing sector in a more sustainable, free and productive way”, said Roberto Benaglia, general secretary of the metalworkers of the Fim Cisl.
The idea of the Fim Cisl is to negotiate at a company level form of work made up of 4 parts of full activity and 1/5 of reduced hours: “Making work more sustainable and flexible towards people’s needs means making jobs more attractive, in an era where many workers, especially talented young people, are changing jobs and skills are moving on the job market. It is possible to rethink corporate hours and reduce them not against corporate competitiveness, but by seeking new balances and better results”, concludes Benaglia.
The 4-day workweek trial in the UK
In the UK 61 companies from different sectors took part in a test on the short working week, which lasted from June to September 2022. The sample of the trial was 2,900 British workers. At the end of the test, of the 61 participating companies, 56 extended the test and 18 of these made it permanent.
Staff surveys conducted before and after the test found that 39% of employees say they are less stressed: 40% sleep better, 54% say it was easier to balance work and household responsibilities. The number of sick days during the trial decreased by about two-thirds and 57% fewer employees left the companies compared to the same period a year earlier.
The most significant result is that productivity has not dropped: The vast majority of companies reported that they were satisfied with business performance during the trial period. Revenues increased slightly: +1.4%.
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