a maximum 40hr working week

Because some employees are better than others.  I would rather have the trusted employees work longer hours and pay them a bonus than be forced to employ extra substandard workers because my preferred options have used up their hours.

It also affects the flexibility of the business.  Much easier in a downturn to stop the extra hours and remove the bonus as opposed to firing the superfluous workers.

However, I agree your idea has some merit for the overall happinesss of society if we assume all workers are moderately competent.

Minimum wage, maximum hours, just phuck off and let people run businesses.

Lets say we get a rush job in on a friday afternoon, under icebaby's lala idea we cant take it on because the staff knock off at 5. I lose, they lose overtime, the customer loses.

And how would you manage it? Oh yeah employ a load of council snoopers to check timesheets.

A government Think Tank last year was suggesting that 30 hour working contracts being the norm. This would mean job share for many. The gov would be happier with the numbers in work obviously and they had the gaul to suggest obviously people would have less wages but they could spend more time with family and in the community. Think Tanks aye.

It’s always cheaper for employers to pay overtime than take on extra staff.

Private firms need to be flexible, and overtime provides them with a ready reserve of extra labour that can be used when it is needed.
Furthermore limiting the hours that an employee can work, would push up costs and be a very backward step to take in terms of efficiency.

Forget it!

Blackburn I don't mean to offend and I understand your point but my point is maybe not strict 40 hour maximum but something along these lines maybe. I don't have all the answers but I reckon there is an opportunity in some companies to create employment in this way. Also It would have to be implemented in a way that didn't create loads of bureaucracy and red tape but I still think it's a workable solution in some large companies mainly factories IMO.

If you’ve got 100 staff, and you can call on them to work 10 hours overtime each week at the drop of a hat, then that’s another 1000 hours you've got in reserve, or another 25 workers you don’t have to pay when you’ve got nothing for them to do.

But you have the extra capacity immediately available if you land a big order with a deadline to meet.

There’s no extra overheads to pay out either like holiday pay, supervision or personal problems.
Many private sector manufacturing companies depend on overtime.

personnel problems.

I missed out NI as well in the extra expense of taking on staff.

Employers' NIC must be the stupidest tax of them all.  Directly discourages employment.  Whoever thought of that is a d*ckhead of the highest order.

well I suppose the answer is 2.7m unemployed then?

The problem is iceicebaby

The already contracted staff rely on the overtime. The problem is with the numbers of non skilled foreign workers flooding our agencies who have the monopoly on menial non skilled vacancies. The UK companies with huge distribution centres such as Curry`s for example have been using recruitment agencies to conveyor belt  non UK labour into their warehouses.

What about unemployed people like me with two kids to feed? I worked at Land Rover last year got laid off in october whilst loads of immigrant`s kept their jobs, what about my right to earn a living?

You haven't got a right to earn a living, nobody has

Except if you are part of the Royal menagerie,blackies  nobody has is not all encompassing

Hahahaha good old horse, that chip just wont go away will it?

Its straightforward horse, I knock on your door and offer to cut your grass for £10 - will you give me the job?

Yes Blackie its yours!! but will you get a mortgage on the back of it

Mortgage - what has that got to do with anything?

Oh I get it, so if I demand £100 will I still get the job?

No I think its not a very stable income to be buying a house on

What time will you be round tomorrow,I'll leave the mower at the side of the house I must say a tenner is brilliant,dont mind the horses they dont bite

Its about 3 acres (you'll probably have a couple of acher's yourself by the time you've finished)

iceicebaby

I fully sympathise as our contract was never renewed and ive been out of work for a couple of months. I also have 2 kids but my wife has decent income.
Most workers though only get perhaps an extra 1 - 20 hours o/t and not every week. I UK did need the skilled foreign work but the influx of non skilled agency workers has not been regulated. Its tough i know.

*I agree UK did need the skilled foreign work

blackburn if you hant got a right to earn a living,how come the government can put in place similar schemes to america,s workfare,you aint got a right to earn a living but they have a right to make you earn job seekers

Is it not the governments job to protect citizens from tyranny. So we are abolishing the minimum wage through the back door.

The minimum wage should be scrapped. Its discriminatory against those without the skills to earn the minimum wage.

You dont need skills to earn minimum wage. Its is there to stop exploitation. If we get into a situation were an employer employs through a wage auction, then we are really phucked. If an employer wants to use a 16/17 year old he £3.68 p/h or if he decides to go down the apprentice route its £2.60 ph. How low can the auction go?
Adults aged 21 or over at £6.08 p/h
18 to 20 year olds at £4.98 p/h

If we scrap it and employers offer their own rate. Where will it end.

If employers offer their own rate, (under minimum wage) they won't get good staff, if any staff at all

With the agencies gaining the contracts for menial work and a huge majority of it temporary, there is not much lack of skills/experience discrimination. Everyone is thrown into the pot together.

i've been getting 10 hours a week overtime at quadruple pay recently. I would be seething if I had to give that up just because I went over 40 hours.

UK Economy is unable to provide enough full-time, proper jobs for the population.
Labour tries to solve problem by creating many 'non-jobs', Tories don't even try to solve problem hence permanent mass unemployment when in power.
Only long-term solution is a drastic cut in working hours-in simplistic terms better to have a)40 million people working 30 hours a week than b)30 million working 40 hours a week with 10 million having to be supported via welfare.
Savings in taxation involved in a) through factors such as reduced welfare payments, decrease in crime, increase in public health would go a long way to offset decrease in wages through reduced hours.

You would have 20 million workers unable to pay their rent/mortgage/bills/food if they only worked 30 hours per week.

RockMonkey
Savings in taxation involved in a) through factors such as reduced welfare payments, decrease in crime, increase in public health would go a long way to offset decrease in wages through reduced hours.

Rubbish

40 million take a 25% pay cut, and how are those on minimum wage going to survive ?

If you can't make work pay, go on the dole, which gets us back to square one.

If everybody got a job (impossible) there would be lower taxation, are you mad ?

The idea is not as daft as it sounds.

Unemployment is only going one way. The current figures of 2.7million unemployed dont tell the true picture when you include those on incapacity benefit and those who are not claiming or in some form of training it will rise substantially.

Add on the forthcoming increases in retirement age and increasing birthrate (the schools are full to the rafters) plus freedom of movement in the euro zone (where unemployment is sky high so plenty of incentive to migrate) then you can see it a problem which is going to get worse.

It is not only the rise in unemployment but also the huge pool of available workers is sure to depress wages effecting those at the bottom of the income scale the most.

There is already a european directive on working hours. If unemployment keeps rising eventually our friends in Brussels will come up with a not so cunning plan.

I think he means if everyone had a job you would pay less tax as the government spending would reduce due to less benefits being paid and a healthier nation.

ffs simple drivel...
If you are so right, then why not a 30 hour week....or 20 or 10

Flatliner

Government Think Tanks have already thrown the idea of 30 hours onto the table. This puts the minimum wagers just about on the tax treshhold, so with WTC, net wages would be around £220, unless living with a working partner on a certain wage etc.

this was on the table in the 1970s  I even wrote a piece about the new mechanised leisure society !!!! forgot about the what happens when the economy doesn't provide what we need in wages - cost of living etc
we now have both parents working to keep a roof over their heads sadly!!!!!