According to him, the global trend is to switch to a four-day workweek. “Our union is currently raging because employers are desperately trying to reduce the number of artificial sick leaves, which is very typical for Latvia.”
Latvia has a very high level of temporary disability among workers. Revalds believes that this phenomenon is not necessarily related to the health of the population: “Most likely, being a little sick is a pleasant tradition.”
In general, it will not be possible to introduce an extended working week in Latvia: “For us, it would be an impossible mission! Trade unions will take to the streets. Latvian trade unions stand like rocks for such social achievements as a normal working week.”
On the other hand, Maris Revalds comments disapprovingly on the argument that extending the working week can increase productivity: “Total crap! It’s a completely extensive approach.”
Today, it is possible to make people more productive. More can be done in one unit of time using artificial intelligence and other technological solutions. Instead, the Greeks prefer to extend the working week.
“The general trends in the world are the opposite,” but, sharing his experience as an employer, Revalds notes: “Those employees who are very well paid, there are a lot of doctors there, you can largely determine how much they will work. They regulate their own workload. And if I raise their salary, I can expect them to work on Fridays, but they will have longer weekends. People rest, and that’s normal.”
Revalds calls for people to take to the streets on Friday afternoon: “Latvian workers are already sitting in their cars, it is very difficult to leave Riga. It will be very interesting how the Greeks cope. Maybe they have slowly revived socialism there, but it looks pretty crazy, and I think that social protests are also expected,” says Maris Revalds.
#introduce #sixday #work #week #Latvia
2024-07-03 20:23:13