International Summit on the four-day working day on 27 & 28 May in Valencia, Spain

22.06.2022

Last Friday 27th Toni Pastor, UNI Expert, and Daniel Folgado, delegate from AXA EWC, attended the 1st International Summit on the four-day working day in the city of València, organized by the Generalitat Valenciana (regional government) with the collaboration of the City Council..

In the same, and through the intervention of different speakers from the world of politics, business, and labor, including Yolanda Diaz Perez, Minister of Labor and Social Economy and Second Vice President of the Government of Spain, discussed the future of employment and shared experiences on different forms of reducing the working day, with special focus on the formula of 4 days a week, which gives title to the meeting.

Different opinions and points of view with experts in technology, economics, labor law, and special focus also on gender policy, all aimed at this possibility of working time reduction. Business experiences, initiatives by political representatives, opinions of trade unionists, debates with experts on working hours in relation to economic development and the well-being it should produce. Also, from an academic point of view, as well as examples of civic campaigns developed on this issue, to finish with the aspect related to technology, Artificial Intelligence, and the future of work under these parameters. We highlight the experience of Perpetual Guardian, New Zealand, the first company in the world to adopt the 4-day working week, Software del Sol, the first in Spain, and La Francachela, the first hostelry business.

We also highlight the willingness of all parties to prioritise consensus for the implementation of this initiative, while also highlighting the demand and the need to discuss the organization of working time as a natural evolution of the working world, as happened in the past with the 8-hour working day, the establishment of paid holidays, the 40-hour week or the different types of schedules and organization of time that exist in many companies.

Interesting meeting that they hope to hold on more occasions in other places, and which we encourage you to attend if you have the chance.