The European Tribune is a forum for thoughtful dialogue of European and international issues. You are invited to post comments and your own articles.
Please REGISTER to post.
That's why it's bad - with a four day week some workers might at least consider second jobs, small businesses or other sources of income.
Perhaps, but not a large share of them. After all there is the assumption, that this is a temporary thing. One has to resort to other measures, if the workers can't go back to full hours in a couple of months. More over even with high unemployment European countries have managed to stay out of deflationary spirals for the last decades.
With the same hours being worked for less cash, spending drives off a cliff and demand falls even further, while unwanted products continue to pile up, because buyers can't afford them.
That would be a catastrophe. If workers are responsible they will refuse to work for lower hourly wages, even if they get laid off otherwise. If I have understood Starvid correctly (not in the diary, but in the comments below), there is no reduction in hourly wages in Sweden. Workers in highly unionised branches should even demand increases of at least 2.5% in hourly wages. An hourly wage reduction is only a beggar your neighbour policy, and Sweden is already highly competitive.
The UK solution has been to temporarily lay off workers, sometimes with minimal pay, sometimes with nothing at all. That doesn't work any better.
That is at least partially a problem of the gov't. Until the current turmoil is over, it would be useful to increase and prolong unemployment benefits.
But the problem is strategic. It's not that there isn't useful work these people could be doing, and being paid for.
But not currently in the production of cars. So it is not useful to have these workers working in the company and produce for stock piling. Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den MenschenVolker Pispers
by Oui - Feb 4 30 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Feb 2 8 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 26 3 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 31 3 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 22 3 comments
by Cat - Jan 25 61 comments
by Oui - Jan 9 21 comments
by gmoke - Jan 20
by Oui - Feb 430 comments
by Oui - Feb 311 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Feb 28 comments
by Oui - Feb 2100 comments
by Oui - Feb 16 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 313 comments
by gmoke - Jan 29
by Oui - Jan 2735 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 263 comments
by Cat - Jan 2561 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 223 comments
by Oui - Jan 2110 comments
by Oui - Jan 21
by Oui - Jan 20
by Oui - Jan 1841 comments
by Oui - Jan 1591 comments
by Oui - Jan 145 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 1328 comments
by Oui - Jan 1222 comments