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The petition proposes to reduce the working week to 32 hours
A petition has appeared on the government portal, which provides for the reform of labor legislation by switching to a four-day work week.
The authors propose to amend the Code of Labor Laws of Ukraine, setting the maximum duration of work at the level of 32 hours or four working days per week. At the same time, employees must retain their full salary and the right to full rest.
It is proposed to start the reform with a pilot project
The initiators of the petition believe that a state experiment should be conducted before the full-scale implementation of the new work format.
For this purpose, it is proposed to determine individual budgetary institutions, private companies and sectors of the economy, which will be the first to switch to a four-day work week. After evaluating the results, the experience can be extended to other areas.
An additional day off should help employees recover
According to the authors of the initiative, the full-scale war significantly increased the psychological burden on Ukrainians due to constant air raids, shelling, sleep disturbances and chronic stress.
They are convinced that an additional day off will allow employees to recover better, devote more time to health, family and personal life, and will also help reduce professional burnout.
The authors refer to international experience
The petition notes that experiments to introduce a four-day working week in Great Britain, Ireland, Spain and Iceland have shown positive results.
According to the authors, in many cases labor productivity not only did not decrease, but also increased by 15–35%. Also cited are data from a British study, according to which the number of sick days was reduced by 65%, and more than 70% of employees reported a decrease in the level of professional burnout.
Expected benefits for the economy and business
The authors of the initiative believe that shortening the working week can benefit not only employees, but also employers.
Among the potential advantages, they mention the reduction of office maintenance costs, energy consumption and logistics, reduction of personnel turnover, increase of the attractiveness of the Ukrainian labor market and creation of additional incentives for the return of citizens from abroad.
It is also expected that the additional day off will have a positive impact on the development of domestic tourism, the service sector, culture, sports and small business.
The final decision depends on the review of the petition
Currently, we are talking only about the public initiative registered on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. For its official consideration, the petition must gather the required number of signatures.
If supported, the government may consider preparing appropriate legislative changes or launching a pilot project to transition to a four-day work week.