Faced with slowing growth and rising joblessness, the CPI(M)-affiliated Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has demanded that the eight-hour work day be reduced to seven hours every day. That is, make it a 35-hour work week instead of the existing weekly 48 hours. Reducing the weekly working hours from 48 to 35 was one of the key proposals agreed by CITU's all-India conference that concluded in Kannur on Monday, according to a report in Indian Express.

According to the report, CITU national president AK Padmanabhan said working for 35 hours a week is the only way to increase job opportunities. While better technology has increased income and improved productivity, job opportunities have come down, he said.

CITU is following the example of France, which adopted a 35-hour working week under a Socialist government in February 2000 in order to check rising unemployment.

While France’s example showed that unemployment fell initially, it rose sharply later. In fact, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy had wanted it scrapped as early as 2004, when he was the country’s finance minister, while the current Socialist prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, had late last year suggested that it could be up for debate, only to backtrack following protests within Socialist ranks.

While pro-labour and pro-Left factions advocate a 35-hour working week in an effort to get more people employed, pro-market advocates opposed to it say it is bad for business and competition for the private sector.

In such a climate, do you think the CITU is right in advocating a 35-hour working week? Should we shave an hour off from mandatory work hours each day to give employment to more people?