Winning on working time

In this second timely IER report on working time, written by Professor Phil Taylor of the University of Strathclyde and commissioned by the Alex Ferry Foundation, tangible examples of unions negotiating a reduction in working time with no loss of pay, are explored in detail. The report analyses the material conditions in each manufacturing sector which affected how a reduction in working time was made possible, as well as analysing the hurdles that needed to be overcome to get there. It includes some common threads, such as the positive impact of the CSEU’s ‘Drive for 35’ campaign in the 1990’s, but also explains how each site navigated management resistance to a reduction of working time. The benefits of reduced working time are multiple, with workers being able to spend more time with their families, be under less stress, and live happier and healthier lives. The report concludes by examining what next steps the trade union movement might make, in order to advance the collective case and win on working time further.

This report should give trade unionists across various sectors the ideas and transferrable arguments they need to successfully negotiate with their employers for a reduction in working time with no loss of pay.

Click the image below to read the full report.