New legislation could give workers the right to a four-day week

The proposed law will introduce “compressed hours,” allowing employees to complete their contracted weekly hours in four days instead of five.

• EasternEye
• 30 August, 2024

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By: EasternEye

WORKERS in the UK will soon have the right to request a four-day workweek as part of new legislation planned by the Labour Party for this autumn.

The proposed law will introduce “compressed hours,” allowing employees to complete their contracted weekly hours in four days instead of five, according to The Telegraph.

The initiative is led by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who is working closely with trade unions and businesses.

Under the current law, employees can request flexible working, but companies are not required to agree.

The new legislation will shift this balance, making it mandatory for companies to offer flexible working from day one, unless it is “not reasonably feasible.”

This change will give workers more power to negotiate a four-day workweek, potentially taking Fridays off while completing their weekly hours between Monday and Thursday.

However, the Conservative Party has raised concerns about the potential economic impact. Kevin Hollinrake, the Tory shadow business secretary, criticised the plan, warning that it could increase business costs and harm economic growth, the newspaper reported. He expressed concerns that the Labour Party is pushing through “French-style union laws” that could be detrimental to the UK business environment.

Critics have also argued that increased flexible working options, such as working from home, could lead to reduced productivity. However, a Labour source dismissed these concerns and told The Telegraph that the Conservative Party had promised to make flexible working the default in their 2019 manifesto but failed to deliver. The source cited studies suggesting that flexible working could boost productivity and help more people stay in the workforce.

Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay has been in development for years and is expected to be introduced to Parliament within 100 days of Labour taking office, by mid-October. The exact details of how the new rights will be implemented are still under discussion, but they are expected to include provisions for hybrid working and the right to switch off after work hours.