Polish Version
Ewa Ignaciuk
Summary
The introduction of an eight-hour working day and forty eight-hour working week was the result of many years of struggle of the workers of Europe and America, demanding respect for their rights, including the right to leisure and family life. Currently, in many European countries, average working time is shorter than that established by the International Labour Conference in the Convention of 1919. The longest – 40 hour working time – valid in Greece, Malta and in most countries of the former socialist bloc (with the exception of Slovakia and the Czech Republic). In the so-called fifteen countries (EU-15) average weekly working hours (excluding overtime) in 2007 was 37.9 hours. According to official statistics in all countries of the European Union, the actual working time is longer than that specified in collective agreements. Employees work the longest in Austria, Greece, Great Britain, the Czech Republic and Poland, while the shortest is in Luxembourg.
It was observed that there is an inverse relationship between working time and work efficiency. In countries, where workers have the most days off from work and/or shortest time, labor productivity is the largest (eg, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, France and Germany). The effects of fatigue for workers not only have an impact on staff competencies, but also imprint their mark on the sphere of social life and the whole economy. Therefore, the concern should be treated any ideas for extending working hours.
More does not always mean better – the problem of working time in the European Union
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