Dutch Political Party calls for EXPANSION to 40 hour work-week.

[elehhhhna]

Just to remind us how civilized people live. First of all they don't work 60 hours per week and BRAG about it...

CDA unveils policies, calls
for 40-hour working week

18 August 2006

AMSTERDAM — The Christian Democrat CDA wants a 40-hour working week to become the norm again in the Netherlands.


The 40-hour week — which would be first introduced in the public service — was one of the party's key election policies presented on Thursday.

The CDA hopes a longer working week will help the nation cover the costs of the aging population. Currently, the working week in the Netherlands is 36 hours.


http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=1&story_id=32387&name=CDA+unveils+policies%2C+calls+for+40%2Dhour+working+week

[helderheid]

1. When we lived in the Netherlands, my husband worked Tue-Friday

I miss 3 day weekends.

[BOSSHOG]

2. Well shuck my corn

I coulda swore 34% of the population of the U. S. of A. believes this is the greatest country on the planet for the past 15,000 years. Ironically it probably would be; without that 34%.

and to think in 10 years or so Netherlands can cut back to 36 or less again as the population shift continues on its natural path.

[elehhhhna]

7. A cousin of ours there just had a baby. She got (standard) paid time off

for TEN WEEKS BEFORE THE BIRTH (not fully paid, but paid...and of course no disruption in status, healthcare, seniority). Now she's home w/ the baby and is still on partial salary for iirc 2 years. WHY NOT?

[Selatius]

13. Why, what country are you living in?

This is America. The government serves the corporation. In what world did you believe it would serve the lowly worker? All that pro-worker rhetoric should be thrown in the dumpster of history and be called what it really is: Communism. What's good for the corporation is good for you. Now you will work as long and hard as your employer wants you to work because a happy slave master is a gentle slave master! You want to see your master pull out the bullwhip today!?

:sarcasm:

[Selatius]

3. I had heard France established the 35-hour work week

The Socialist Party played a big role in pushing that through, but I am not sure if their actions have been undone by more rightwing governments that have come through in recent years.

Apparently, the French don't think your life and soul should be owned by the corporation.

[oscar111]

4. "i believe in HARD WORK'.. a penpal of mine said that. Can u explain such

Can u explain such a subculture ... which she is a part of?

I think they mean to admire getting food for one's family, but it sounded like pride in being a wage-slave sheep, with also an eagerness to burn out.

anyone near that subculture, able to say just what they mean?

[Selatius]

5. Nobody believes in hard work if they aren't treated with dignity

I've worked 60 hours and more as a "lowly" janitor in summers with 90+ degree heat. I believe in at least taking pride in the work I do, that I should complete the task no matter how difficult, but I will not work hard simply because my employer wants me to work hard and treats me like shit. I work hard only because it is a principle of mine to get the job done, despite what my employer may want.

You haven't seen hard work until you've worked with Latin American immigrants, some of whom pulled 70 hour work weeks. Those guys worked hard because they had more pride in helping their families back home than in making their shitty, greedy, exploitative employers look good.

[oscar111]

8. 80 hrs the legal workweek minimum in egypt,

last i heard ten years ago.

I also heard S Koreans get no weekend off, and work till they die.

Spanish worked the indians of cuba to death, every one of them, a few centuries ago.

[Selatius]

14. They would riot in Europe if you gave them an 80-hour work week

I could not imagine being able to raise a family while devoting 80 hours a week to work.

[oscar111]

6. ZERO hours of work.. the promise of automatiion someday

automation should be shortening our workweek, and in the end, do all work for us.

[oscar111]

9. RECOMMEND

THANKS

[Warren Stupidity]

10. I'm thinking 30-32 would be just right

Plus mandatory 6 weeks vacation. Get everybody employed.

[oscar111]

11. JOBS FOR ALL see sig. Warren, you are thinking of the idea called

"share the work" . French started to do it, think the RW ended it.

[me b zola]

12. IIRC, France recently went for an expanded work week

...and was it Sweden that recently lost it's government health plan? Canada has faux news and has elected a neocon as PM. Shit, we all thought that the Brits would have ousted Blair a while ago, but it doesn't look like he's going anywhere. I see all of this as a global move towards corporatism (rw domination).

Recently I googled my name and came across a rw site devoted to trolling DU and using our thoughts to springboard their rw hatred/mantra. This was not one of the usual suspects, it was on blogspot. It said that it was grassroots but clearly politicos were behind it's creation and writing. One of the things that caught my eye was a section where they gave a shout out to their international readers. Then the "blogger" said, and this is a loose quote, "It's not about the US v (name a country), this is about right vs left." I almost began a thread to discuss this, but I didn't want to link back to that site.

Anyway, I understand that the Netherlands wants to cover the expense of it's aging population, but I fear what may be creeping up on them.




edited to correct a spelling error.

[LSK]

16. Sweden lost its govt health plan?? where did you hear that????

[me b zola]

22. Within a thread on a different subject a few weeks back

The poster said that they went to private pay.

[Selatius]

26. They probably adjusted the existing system, most likely

Some countries still have private HMOs, but the government in these countries regulate them and the pharmaceutical companies as well, and they may give the poorest access to state-sponsored health care programs if they cannot afford the private insurance plans. In this manner, one can still attain the goal of full health care coverage without imposing a form of state socialism on the issue, but if one finds the notion of making a profit off of the health or lack of health of others abhorrent, then socialism is the only acceptable solution be it state socialism or some non-state form of socialism.

I would personally argue the ideal role of the government would be to pass laws encouraging people to form non-profit health care companies and to repeal existing laws that would hinder them in favor of private for-profit enterprises. In the end, it will cut down on the cost of health care, and as a fail-safe, I would add that Medicare/Medicaid should be expanded to cover everyone who cannot afford the going market rates.

[oscar111]

18. Italy went LW, Most of S. America went LW. so there is no global

RW tide. Cheer up. Signals are mixed, as they say in economics.

[Botany]

15. The Bulldog Cafe & Coffee Shop

:smoke:

[RB TexLa]

17. So because I chose to work 70 or 80 plus hours most weeks

I am some how uncivilized? Please explain that to me, I'd like to know how you think I am some kind of savage for that.

[elehhhhna]

23. No. Do you brag about it? Lord it over lazy 50-hour per week people...

etc? Are you in finacial straits? Or the owner of the business? All of the above? None?

Depend on why you do it. It is IMO much more civilized for a SOCIETY to value family and vacation time!

[Magonaga]

19. 40 hours?

Forty hours? You have to be kidding.

I work ten to thirteen hours a day, and I usually work six days a week. As an entrepreneur and business owner, I can't work less. Part of the reason I work so much is that I am responsible for the people who work for me - I'm not going to let them down.

One of the reasons European countries have such a social safety net is the incredibly high tax rate, BTW. That said, I used to live in Holland and I loved it there.

[newyawker99]

20. Hi Magonaga!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Magonaga]

21. :)

Thanks! Nice to have a friendly hello.

[elehhhhna]

24. Mag, owners are a different story, as you know.

Owners who expect their employees to care and be as passionate as they themselves are are nuts, btw.

[Odin2005]

25. Ideally, technology should be allowing us to work less.

The problem is Capitalism and the notion derived from Christianity that not working hard enough was sinful. Employing 2 people for 20 hrs/week costs more then employing one person for 40hrs/week, thus bad for profits. An ideal post-capitalist economy should treat workers as ends unto themselves, not cogs in a machine whose only purpose is to make profits for thier masters.