Pensions minister Emma Reynolds has dismissed calls from civil servants for a four-day working week, telling them “we are not living in the 1970s”. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union had argued that a four-day week would improve quality of life and save the government more than £21 million a year.
Officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) estimated the change would halve staff turnover and free up funds to hire an extra 2,345 workers. The PCS also claimed sickness absence could drop from 4.3 days lost per staffer annually to 1.5 days.
Ms Reynolds acknowledged the appeal of part-time work, saying: “I see the benefit for those who want to have the flexibility to be able to work part time. I'm a mum of two young children. And you know, sometimes I wish that I worked part time. But I don't think as a whole that civil servants as a general rule should work four days rather than five.” She added that officials wanting a four-day week “won't get one... because we are not living in the 1970s”.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote hit back: “No, we’re not. We’re living in the 2020s and we’ve moved on from then and adopted smarter working practices.” The four-day week campaign accused Ms Reynolds of sounding like “a Tory minister stuck in the past”. Director Joe Ryle said: “The truth is that the 9-5, 5 day working week is outdated and no longer fit for purpose. It was invented 100 years ago and we are long overdue an update.”
The union’s research, based on a survey of over 1,200 members, found 80% believed the change would benefit their health and wellbeing. Ms Heathcote said opposition was “purely ideological” given the “financial benefits too”. The government has no plans to introduce a four-day week, a Defra spokeswoman confirmed.
