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Germany: towards 32 hour week - "It represents a fairer distribution of the wealth created by productivity gains in the industry created by the workers" (www.industriall-union.org)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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"For far too long, the lion's share of the benefits from our increased efficiency has gone to the top, sidelining those who are at the very heart of this production. It's time to level the playing field, ensuring that our workers directly benefit from these advancements by offering them improved working conditions and an enhanced quality of life."

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[+] [email protected] -26 points 8 months ago (25 children)

And how about the industries who have been maximally efficient this whole time making full use of 40+ hour weeks? Do they get the extra 25% pay boost?

[–] [email protected] 41 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (24 children)

There are plenty of studies proving people working less hours still do the same or even more and/or better work then those doing more hours. If pay was linked to efficiency gains over the last decades our pay would be considerably higher.

Instead we're still stuck at back breaking jobs with long hours and get looked at funny for wanting to work less and live a little more by people thinking anyone working less than 40+ hours is slacking for no other reason than tradition.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (22 children)

In these posts I mostly refer to truck drivers. At least in the US there hasn't been much improvement in efficiency since it all works just the same as ever. Can't move more in a truck than max gross, and yet it's still 70 hours a week. It's all based on the legal limits on time for drivers. 14 hours from when you start until you need to take 10 hours off. 11 of those hours can be spent driving. 70 hours in 8 days, or take 34 hours off and get them all back.

Truck drivers work this schedule and are payed not by the hour but by "production" ie miles driven. The more it costs to pay these drivers the more most things people consume will cost by proxy, so most people wouldn't be happy if drivers got a decent pay bump.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I mean this is just a reminder that the US is basically a third world country.

70 hours in 8 days is already illegal across the EU, as it violates:

The working time directive. And
Rules for handling heavy goods.

You can drive 90 hours every two weeks and that's it. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/856360/simplified-guidance-eu-drivers-hours-working-time-rules.pdf

[–] [email protected] -3 points 8 months ago

Then why do so many immigrants want to come to the US?

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