Government wants a shorter work week

The labour market section in the new coalition agreement includes the following passage:

“The work week will be reduced to 37 hours. Through tripartite talks, the aim is to shorten the work week by one hour every two years until we have a 37-hour work week. The work week will be regulated by law.”

This passage reflects one of the key election pledges of the two largest government parties, Javnaðarflokkurin (social democrats) and Tjóðveldi (republicans).

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Trade unions have been calling for shorter a work week in recent years, but employers have not been keen on the idea.

A key objective of the government is to bring the Faroese 40-hour work week on a par with Denmark’s 37-hour work week.

During the election campaign, the House of Industry was keen to point out that the Faroese 40-hour work week, which includes lunch breaks, is essentially the same as Denmark’s 37-hour week, which does not include lunch breaks.

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“Having said that, we are prepared to approach these tripartite talks with a positive mindset,” says Niels Winther, CEO of the House of Industry.

“It is, however, important to keep in mind the long-term sustainability of our economy given the current unemployment rates, which are at an all-time low.”

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

More Faroese News in English.