Four day working week must be included in the discussion on Irish Unity

Trade Unionists for a New and United Ireland (TUNUI) has welcomed the announcement of a pilot project to explore the feasibility of a four-day working week.

The pilot project is being spearheaded by the Four Day Week Ireland Campaign, of which Fórsa and ICTU are members.

TUNUI spokesperson Sean McElhinney called for a four-day working week to form part of the discussion on a New and United Ireland.

He said: “The debate on constitutional change should be an opportunity to fundamentally transform Irish society in the interests of working people. In TUNUI’s document – ‘Uniting Ireland – Uniting Workers’ – we call for a four-day working week in a United Ireland.

“Ireland has some of the longest working hours in Europe, not to mention the soul-destroying commutes suffered by many workers as a result of our underfunded and disjointed transport infrastructure and the lack of regional development.

“The pandemic has shown that alternative ways of working are possible, but we need to make sure these benefits are felt by all workers across all sectors of the economy.

“As we advocate in our ‘Uniting Ireland – Uniting Workers’ document, a Citizens’ Assembly should be established to plan for Irish Unity. Part of these discussions should include how a four-day working week can be implemented across the private and public sectors without loss of pay.

If a four-day week is to be sustainable, it means tackling low pay and precarious employment. The trade union movement should ensure the case for this is made a any Citizens’ Assembly discussing constitutional change.

Mr McElhinney concluded: “We need to make sure that people have decent incomes and the time to pursue hobbies, activism, community development and indeed spend more time witht their friends and families. In a New and United Ireland, everyone should be able to work to live, not live to work as is currently the case.”

ENDS