Issa daqshekk, said Tony Zarb as he packed away his little statue of St Publius which had stood guard in the office vetrina for 17 years.
Issa daqshekk he said as he closed the general secretary office door behind him. Issa daqshekk he said to himself as he went down the stairs of the General Workers Union for the last time.
Possibbli daqshekk? we all asked ourselves as we listened to his militant passing-the-baton speech last week.
Josef Bugeja is now his successor. And I have the very idea for him, which would make all of us ħaddiema very happy. His baptism project should be to convince the government to adopt the six-hour work week as embraced by Sweden.
It is now official: Swedes work a grand total of 30 hours a week, instead of our 40-hour-and-over week. It was an experiment that started 13 years ago when the Toyota service centers in Gothenburg shifted to the six-hour work day. It proved to be an immediate success: by spending less time at work, employees became more productive and efficient. Over time, more Swedish companies started to adopt this model – and last month the Swedish government also joined the bandwagon.
Think about it. Because of the shorter working hours, employees stop having to manage their private life during working hours. So out goes trying to understand an Abacus Maths problem over the phone while colleagues listen in; there’s no more need of desperately phoning the mechanic and getting him to explain to you what’s wrong with your car – so at the end of the working day you try and fix it yourself; and there’s suddenly no need for several coffee breaks and ‘meetings’ so that the long day becomes endurable.
By 3pm, the Swedes are out of the office – and at the end of the month they are earning the same pay as before. This means they get to see their significant others without dark circles under their eyes; and they can take children to the playground and not just whisper the bedtime prayer; they have time to go to the theatre or to art classes; and they have time to cook properly and not emptying the fridge in a pan while stuffing their mouth with Twistees to stave off the hunger.
By spending less time at work, employees became more productive and efficient
And they have time to read. Of course, this could be because Scandinavian countries are dark and cold and there’s nothing else to do. But now they are the world’s top readers, so much so that the BBC tells us that even at the hairdressers, they do not talk gossip but book recommendations. And time off surely has got to do with it.
So all in all it’s been a success: Sweden boasts a happier workforce. Which certainly contrasts with those studies published every week, telling us that people who work longer than 50 hours are more at risk of strokes, heart disease and lower mental health.
So I can think of nothing better to do for the new GWU general secretary than to sit down at his desk and study the Nordic model. Theirs is the best modus operandi because they invest in people and protect them from the disruptions that take place under the name of capitalism.
And while he’s at it, his union can also look at the work-life balance in these northern countries and push for something similar for the Budget. Scandinavian parents aren’t agonising over work-family balance: parents can take a year or more of paid parental leave. Fathers are equal partners in childrearing, and they like it.
To their credit, Scandinavians have a strong belief in individual rights which means citizens pay their taxes scrupulously and play by the rules and no one embarks on ‘missions to find the loophole’. Which means that six hours would be really six hours and not an extended passeġġata up and down Republic Street.
Who would have thought that these countries of ill-mannered Vikings would turn out so well?
Were it not for the terrible, dark weather they’d be the envy of Europe and we’d all be emigrating there.
Meanwhile we just have to make do with copying them. All we have to do is put our feet firmly down, shout out Issa daqshekk and aim for a Scandinavia in the Mediterranean.
krischetcuti@gmail.com
Twitter: @KrisChetcuti