Sir, – Rather than simply reducing hours for the public sector (Letters, January 18th), many of whom already enjoy generous annual leave, perhaps a shorter standard workweek should be instituted for the entire employed workforce, both public and private.
Anything above 32 hours, or over four working days per week, let us say, would automatically qualify one for a mandatory and significant pay increase for overtime.
With increasing automation, this is surely one of a number of solutions that merits serious consideration.
Far better to divide the remaining workload, insofar as practical, as opposed to having one cohort of overworked burnouts and another of permanently unemployed. – Yours, etc,
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WILL BREEN,
Cork.