In Belgium, the government has reached an agreement at the federal level to propose a four-day working week. The idea is to offer employees the possibility of working more hours over four days in order to enjoy a free day on the fifth day.
In concrete terms, an employee working 38 hours--the full-time schedule in Belgium--per week will be able to work 9.5 hours over four days instead of 7.36 hours over five days. It will also be possible to work 45 hours for a week and then enjoy a reduced working week of 31 hours.
The objectives are multiple: to make the labour market more attractive, to increase flexibility and to improve the reconciliation of professional and private life. The Belgian government also aims to increase the number of active people by reaching an employment rate of 80% by 2030, compared to the current rate of 71%.
The four-day week does not solve anything, on the contrary, it lengthens the working day.
But the measure is divisive. While some companies that have already adopted the four-day week say they have seen an increase in productivity and a reduction in stress at work, others say that it will be extremely difficult to apply it on the field.
The president of the country’s main trade union, the FGTB, Thierry Bodson, spoke of “a false good idea” in an interview with La Première. “Compressing the working week into four days is a murderous stab at the demand for a reduction in working time,” said Bodson, before adding: “10-hour days mean that day-care centres and crèches will have to open for 12 hours. That doesn’t exist. 10 hours of work a day means increasing the risk of accidents at work. It also means asking for a modification of the 1971 law that organises working time, with the eight-hour day. We are talking about a compression of working time, not a reduction of working time.” said the president of the FGTB, a workers’ union that can be considered as the equivalent of the OGBL in Luxembourg.
“What workers are telling us is that they are unhappy at work, that there is a lack of meaning, that there are more and more burn-outs and that working conditions are becoming more and more difficult to bear. The four-day week does not solve anything, on the contrary, it lengthens the working day,” said Bodson.
It should be noted, however, that although some companies have already adopted the four-day week, the government agreement still has to go through several legislative stages before coming into law.
Not possible in Luxembourg
The Luxembourg labour ministry commented that “the four-day week is not included in the coalition agreement, although a chapter is devoted to the organisation of working time and the idea of such a week has not yet been studied as to its feasibility.”
However, labour minister Georges Engel (LSAP) said the Belgian project could offer opportunities for discussions. "The agreement in Belgium may mark a new moment to address the issue of working time," he commented.
“A new economy requires other forms of work organisation which have an impact on working time. Employees have different aspirations in terms of organisation and working time. They demand more autonomy and more flexible forms of work. Above all, it is a question of better reconciling family and working life. At the same time, greater flexibility in the organisation of work should enable companies to adapt better to a constantly changing economic and competitive environment.”
Trade unions in favour of a reduction in working time
The reduction of working hours is a demand of the Luxembourg trade unions LCGB and OGBL. Nora Back, president of the OGBL, regularly talks of the need to reduce working hours in order to increase the time devoted to “living”, particularly when it comes to family. But the OGBL has never called for a four-day week. The union prefers a sixth week of statutory leave, the right to part-time work, social leave, or a time-saving account.
The same applies to the LCGB. “The idea of a four-day week has not yet been discussed,” the union said: “The LCGB’s demands concern a better reconciliation of professional and private life through a reduction in working hours. The right to part-time work is also part of our demands and was already discussed at the end of 2020, without conclusions, in the standing committee on labour and employment (CPTE).”
Another LCGB demand is to work for greater flexibility in working time in the interests of reconciling professional and private life. “Even if a redistribution of the 40-hour working week over four days instead of five will allow for an additional free day per week, it should not be forgotten that the working day will be extended by two hours, which risks complicating rather than facilitating the reconciliation of professional and private life. Moreover, it should not be forgotten that longer working hours also mean less rest time between working days, which can also have an impact on health and safety at work,” the LCGB said, arguing instead for a general reduction in working time.
Working time flexibility is a broader issue that does not have an ideal answer for all workers and companies.
For the director of the UEL businesses union, Jean-Paul Olinger, the four-day week comes with a number of problems. “We are currently experiencing a labour shortage in several sectors of activity and have an energy and environmental transition to make. A reduction in working time would not help us. Working 10 hours a day will cause problems for nurseries, schools, or companies that work three shifts. What about breaks? Why not work three times 10 hours? Then two times five hours? And so on. In just a few minutes, you can see the many questions this concept raises,” he said.
“Working time flexibility is a broader issue that does not have an ideal answer for all workers and companies. There are many differences between sectors and professions. The example of teleworking, with some professions allowing it and others not, is quite telling,” he said.
Finally, the UEL is interested in the issue of flexibilisation of working time, but does not think that one and the same law can suit the whole economic fabric. “This must be done within companies, with a less rigid regulatory framework that can give more flexibility and dialogue in companies. From there, other forms of working time can emerge,” Olinger said.
This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.