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Germany: towards 32 hour week - "It represents a fairer distribution of the wealth created by productivity gains in the industry created by the workers" (www.industriall-union.org)

submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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"For far too long, the lion's share of the benefits from our increased efficiency has gone to the top, sidelining those who are at the very heart of this production. It's time to level the playing field, ensuring that our workers directly benefit from these advancements by offering them improved working conditions and an enhanced quality of life."

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (21 children)

In these posts I mostly refer to truck drivers. At least in the US there hasn't been much improvement in efficiency since it all works just the same as ever. Can't move more in a truck than max gross, and yet it's still 70 hours a week. It's all based on the legal limits on time for drivers. 14 hours from when you start until you need to take 10 hours off. 11 of those hours can be spent driving. 70 hours in 8 days, or take 34 hours off and get them all back.

Truck drivers work this schedule and are payed not by the hour but by "production" ie miles driven. The more it costs to pay these drivers the more most things people consume will cost by proxy, so most people wouldn't be happy if drivers got a decent pay bump.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (4 children)

I believe the size of trucks and the load has increased over time = efficiency improved. Granted my reasoning doesn't work for every field but I am always slightly annoyed when someone comes with an example were it doesn't work as an excuse to shot down less working hours for everybody.

But your example is good in another way. In a not too distant future truck drivers might be replaced by self-driving trucks with probably a long time in between with assisted driving that still needs human oversight by a driver. I know the first thought is "but jobs" but that's progress and change that has always been there. I don't know about the US but in Europe the workforce is shrinking and we could use skilled and able people almost everywhere.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

We're a long way away from automated trucks. Additionally the amount hauled hasn't changed in some 80 years.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I don't think that's really true. Follow-the-leader tech is really promising. Lots of tests on open roads. Like this one.

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