Calls for 4 day working week pilot in Welsh public sector
The call comes from a report by the Senedd's Petitions Committee
There are calls for a Wales to 'lead the way' and explore how a 4 day working week could boost productivity.
A report by the Senedd Petition's Committee is calling for the Welsh Government to carry out a pilot in the public sector.
It would mean Wales would join countries such as Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, New Zealand and Japan who are making serious moves towards trialling or introducing new working patterns.
“It is a bold proposal but no more bold than those campaigners who fought for a five day week, paid holiday and sick pay which we now take for granted,” says Chair of the Senedd’s Petitions Committee, Jack Sargeant MS.
“People in Wales work some of the longest hours in Europe. Despite these long hours the UK lags behind on productivity, once we break that link of ‘hours worked equalling productivity’ we can start to look at a four-day week differently.
“Experiments are being conducted around the world – but we will have a much stronger knowledge of how they fit our circumstances here in Wales if we conduct our own trials.
"I hope the Welsh Government will consider our call for a modest experiment in our public sector, so that future debates on this subject will be more fully informed by evidence from Welsh people on the economic, social and environmental impacts of a four-day week.”