"Reduced Work Shift Increases Pace of Production"
"A Reduced work shift increases the pace of production" according to General Workers Union Secretary General Francisco Canindé Pegado, in an interview with Itaércio Porpino of the "Nominuto" (At this minute) web site.
Nominuto – The union centers defend a reduced work week without a salary reduction. Do you believe that this proposal will be accepted?
Canindé Pegado – We defend a reduced work week without a salary reduction because Brazilian workers have an extremely tiring and extenuated work load, which, according to statistics, does not allow conditions for training, leisure and for good health and well being, or time to rest with the family. Workers, particularly those in large cities, wake up very early, need two buses and or walk to get to work after two or three hours and return home very late at night. These workers must really succumb to the demands of the productive sector. They live only to work. This is inhuman. The reduction of the work week from 44 to 40 hours would immediately generate more than 2.2 million jobs. Can it be said that it would be more costly for companies? No, because companies today pay overtime, and in addition, when a worker get sick, it is society that pays.
NM – Do you think that these arguments make approval possible?
CP – We base them on proven experiences. Countries developing at Brazil’s pace have work weeks lower than 40 hours and have maintained economic equilibrium and growing productivity. So experience shows us that a respected working class, living with dignity, is easily productive and able to participate in the development of Brazil as citizens and not as an input, which is how workers are treated in the production process. We fully believe that the reduced work week does not decrease the pace of production. To the contrary, it increases the pace of production because there is greater satisfaction of the worker in the workplace.
NM – Did this discussion come from within the union centers?
CP – This issue is already in the national Congress, and has been debated in other business sector forums. We are also taking the debate outside of Brazil. We have an international union center that is accompanying this demand. When the organized working class unites around an issue, it becomes easier to achieve.
NM – The UGT is the author of the FGTS project – Justice and Citizenship for the Worker. What does the project propose?
CP – The project proposes the revival of the FGTS (Fund for Guaranteed Time of Service) for the worker from the perspective of its adjustment, its increased value. The interest rate paid by the FGTS has been maintained below that of savings accounts. This is not acceptable. Our petition proposes that workers could use the FGTS account for other investments that pay more than the official one. For example, we can cite the purchase of stocks and public bonds. So the idea is to increase the value of the FGTS.