Working Hours: New Zealand

(asked on 16th April 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the Prime Minister of New Zealand's request to businesses in that country to consider a four-day week; and what plans, if any, they have to make a similar request to UK businesses.


Answered by
Lord Callanan Portrait
Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This question was answered on 28th April 2021

The Government currently has no plans to introduce a mandated four-day working week in the UK.

The UK has one of the most flexible labour markets in Europe and this flexibility enables workers to participate in the labour market in a way that suits their circumstances. Working hours are ultimately a contractual matter to be agreed between a worker and their employer, and our existing legal framework provides a statutory right for all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service to request flexible working, where employees can request a change to their hours, working patterns or working from home.

Reticulating Splines