The Scottish Government is to trial a four-day working week for many of its Public Servants.
The experiment is set to last for a year and a number of Departments and public sector bodies have been invited to take part.
After 12 months, if the trial proves successful, the four-day week scheme could be extended to include a wider range of Government bodies, Councils and quangos.
Director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, Joe Ryle said it was fantastic news and built upon all the evidence from across the world which showed that a four-day week with no loss of pay both increased productivity and improved work-life balance.
“The shorter week has been extremely successful for many businesses in the private sector already, so it’s only right and fair to see if those benefits can be applied to the public sector,” Mr Ryle said.
“One hundred years ago we moved from a six-day week to a five-day week. It’s great to see Scotland now leading the charge towards a four-day week.”
However, the move has been met with furious opposition by Conservative Party members in the Edinburgh Parliament.
Shadow Minister for Finance and the Economy, Liz Smith said Chief Minister, Humza Yousaf “is living in a fantasy land if he thinks this ridiculous plan is feasible at a time when our economy is lagging behind the rest of the United Kingdom, the National Health Service is on its knees and Councils are having their budgets savagely cut”.
This flies in the face of evidence from the private sector where businesses that adopted a four-day working week as part of a pilot program claimed to be more profitable and their staff fitter, happier and more productive.
Edinburgh, 5 September 2023
