Productivity and the 12-hour Workday

The proposals of the union and some state governments in favour of the 12-hour workday (only on permissible grounds, if required by the employers) with the restriction of a maximum 48 working hours a week and an opt-out option based on the voluntary consent of the employees have caused considerable controversy. Many trade unions have objected to the implementation of the 12-hour workday.

The 12-hour workday is not new to the world. It is a modified combination of longer daily working hours and restricted weekly working hours. Many of our ancestors often worked for more than 12 hours a day. Many nations like Australia, the United States, Russia, Germany, and Austria witnessed labour agitations and loss of lives in protests for a shorter workday. Their protests gave us the eight-hour workday. With these successful protests, eight hours each were prescribed for work, recreation, and sleep.