Dozen Labour MPs push for four-day week in workers' rights shake-up

Over a twelve Labour MPs are supporting an amendment to the landmark Employment Rights Bill - being spearheaded by Deputy PM Angela Rayner - to propulsion for the change

Over a twelve Labour MPs are calling connected ministers to see a four-day moving week arsenic portion of a workers’ rights shake-up.

The backbenchers are supporting an amendment to the landmark Employment Rights Bill - being spearheaded by Deputy PM Angela Rayner. It would perpetrate the authorities to found a assemblage to supply recommendations connected however a modulation could beryllium made from a five-day moving week to a four-day week.

Maya Ellis, the Labour MP for Ribble Valley, said: “I anticipation our authorities tin beryllium brave capable to instrumentality the archetypal steps now, successful what I judge volition 1 time beryllium considered the norm.”

Other MPs backing the amendment see Kim Johnson, Rachael Maskell, , Maya Ellis, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, and Paula Barker, and Green MP Ellie Chowns.

Last period it emerged much than 200 firms had opted to springiness much than 5,000 employees a imperishable four-day week - with nary nonaccomplishment of pay. A 2023 survey of companies taking portion successful trials also recovered a immense 71% reporting little levels of burnout and a 51% autumn successful the likelihood an worker would quit.

Peter Dowd, the Labour MP for Bootle, who projected the amendment, said: “The benefits of greater productivity successful the system arsenic a effect of caller technology specified arsenic artificial quality (AI) indispensable beryllium passed backmost to workers successful much escaped leisure time.

"A four-day, 32 hr moving week is the aboriginal of enactment and I impulse my enactment to backmost this amendment truthful we tin statesman a overmuch wider transition.”

Director of the 4 Day Week Foundation run group, Joe Ryle, said: “Compressing the aforesaid magnitude of hours into four-days alternatively than 5 is not the aforesaid happening arsenic a existent four-day moving week. What is missing from the Bill is simply a committedness to research a genuinely shorter moving week which we cognize workers desperately want.

“As hundreds of British companies and 1 section assembly person already shown, a four-day week with nary nonaccomplishment of wage tin beryllium a win-win for some workers and employers.”

The Employment Rights Bill, which boosts six wage provisions and bans exploitative zero-hours contracts, is presently going done the Commons.

Campaigners highlighted Ms Rayner antecedently described flexible moving arsenic "no menace to the economy.” But past twelvemonth Labour curate Emma Reynolds blunty rejected the thought of a four-day moving week for civilian servants - contempt calls from unions.