Britain is facing return of three-day week

Britain is facing return of three-day week

www.independent.co.uk

The prospect of the three-day week returned to haunt Britain yesterday as it emerged that ministers are considering paying firms to cut hours in order to survive the recession.


Tens of thousands of businesses are already planning to scale back working hours this year in an effort to stay afloat. But as the country comes to terms with the reality of a recession, it emerged that the Government is looking at compensating employees, through their firms – thereby drawing comparisons with the shutdowns of the 1970s.

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I sincerely hope this does not happen, the last time it did was because of the coal strikes and power cuts. As this economic collapse have been planned to happen why is it that those in power allow this to happen then we the people suffer.

Once again billions of taxpayers money is given to corrupt and criminal banks and their owners/shareholders and they get away with it scot free.

www.independent.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

i cant understand why the gov don't just buy all the peoples debt from the banks and freeze payments onit.. it would free up money for the banks and get them lending again... as for a 3 day week it is better than losing your job...

Wouldn't affect me, but saying that, this recession hasn't and is unlikely to affect me. My employer is cash rich, debt free and cash flow positive for the 12 months up to December 2008. We're even recruting and are desperate for staff!

I am unclear though how cutting the working week is "compensating employees through their employers..."

I am too young to remember the 1970's, could someone enlighten me as to what impact a shortened working week will have?

Originally posted by stumason
Wouldn't affect me, but saying that, this recession hasn't and is unlikely to affect me. My employer is cash rich, debt free and cash flow positive for the 12 months up to December 2008. We're even recruting and are desperate for staff!

I am unclear though how cutting the working week is "compensating employees through their employers..."

I am too young to remember the 1970's, could someone enlighten me as to what impact a shortened working week will have?

I'm not sure whether I'm really getting it, but could it could be comparable to the system currently used in the Netherlands. Companies experiencing a decrease of sales of at least 20 or 30% are allowed to send some employees home for one or more days but the employees have to do some kind of training or schooling. The special fund that has been paid for by the companies over the past decades covers 25% of salary costs while 75% is paid for by the employer.



[edit on 25-1-2009 by Mdv2]

Stu, basically during the Coal strikes of the seventies we had power for only half the week, in other words you worked 3 days and the rest of the week their was no electricity. And I agree the Government should right off all personal unsecured debt. There is no point in dropping the interest rate or dropping prices becaue people have no money to spend. They are spending all their money of inflated mortgages, loans and credit card debt and simply do not have any money to spend. If the Government rrally do want to stimulate the economy then thats what they should do.#

After all they have done it for the banks and we are paying for it as well as our own personal debts so why cannot they do it for us. Wipe out the debt have strict controls on credit and moneyb lending and you will see an improvem,ent in the economy. the Banks and Government got us into thsi mess so they should pay for us to get out of it.

Haven't a lot of employers, especially manufacturing, already gone to shorter working weeks?

Some industries cannot do this, such as the one I work in. I assume that it would have exemptions? I work a shift pattern of 2 x 12hr days, 2 x 12hr nights then 4 days off.

It seems to me to be one of two choices. Go shorter working week and have a longer but shallower recession, or stick with it and go deep and short.

I'd love the Government to absorb personal debt, but isn't this riding at the Trillion £ mark? That would just sink the economy and the pound doing that.....

Stu, seeing how the whole collapse has been planned enginered and executed and at the end of the day uits just figures on a computer screen they Government and the parasitic bankers can do what they like and usually do. In other words the whole thing is a scam, the money scam, just life banks don't have to have securities any more yet they can lend money they don't have yet get real money back from us made on their invisible money.

reply to post by magicmushroom


HSBC has been responsible. They are the only UK bank to hold more on deposit than they lend. It would also seem that the Bankers have lost out, as they lost control of their banks to the Government at knock down prices, or in the case of the formerly Jewish owned bank, Barclays, they are (ironically) now owned my Muslim investors from Dubai.

I don't really see how an engineered collapse has benefitted anybody. Surely it serves the elite to have people prospering, spending and making them money, rather than hoarding, defaulting and generally ruining their plans?

I agree this collapse came about via Bankers greed, but it doesn't look to me like they planned it.

The last ''Three day week'' came about because of the energy crisis brought about by the Miners Strikes of the 1970's - hence the ''Winter of Discontent'', etc etc. There were power cuts done on a rotational basis - there was also many deaths due to the cold and having no means of heating. Street lights were also 'turned off'' if I recall correctly.

I like am probably in one of the few working professions that will not be affected by the recession, in fact my sector will thrive on it - the healthcare sector ...... the National Health Service.

The NHS is still actively recruiting, especially in medical, nursing and ancilliary departments ... we actually have a shortage of these.

I already do a ''three day week'' - 3 x 12.50 hour shifts = 37.50 hrs, so no change there.

Stu, these economic collapses are inded planned, because the outcome is that we end up with fewer banks and busineses meaning the perps have greater control and thus their plan for the one wolrd system.

How many banks were there in the US before the depression and how many were left after it. Nothing happens by chance, its all designed and planned. with each event we end up with massive banking corporations and the same with industry, a few big fish that have swallowed all the small fry until only they are left. When that happens they can dictate to us whatever they like and we wont have any choice.

Just imagine only having Tesco's to shop for food or only one bank to which get money from. That is their objective.