Dutch Labor MP Wants to Enforce 4-Day Work Week To Combat Unemployment

posted at 11:06 am on May 24, 2009 by Michael van der Galien

Once again proof that laborites really have no idea how to counter a major economic recession: Dutch Labor (PvdA) Member of Parliament and Labor leader Mariëtte Hamer wants the government coalition – of which her party is a member – to accept a bill that would decrease the regular work week to four days.

The moderate socialist believes that this measure will help counter the crisis and, of course, rising unemployment. After all, if everybody is forced to work four days in a week instead of five, an unemployed person can take over the other, remaining day. Perhaps you can even encourage that previously unemployed individual to work Saturdays as well! What a great, great plan!

Sadly, a four-day work week means that Dutchmen will earn 20% less. Additionally, it is normally more expensive for an employer to hire two part time employees, than one who works full time (additional taxes, social security costs, health care insurance costs, etc.). This means that businesses will lose money or at least earn less high a profit. This, in turn, will cause them to fire those they just hired, meaning that only those who work four days a week remain; if they’re lucky.

It goes without saying that this cycle of death will deepen the recession.

Facts be damned, of course – Hamer is determined to convince coalition partners the CDA (Christian democrats) and ChristenUnie (Christian progressives) to play along with her silly plan.

And you know what’s scary? Both other parties have already said they will listen to her plans – they should have dismissed them out of hand and told her that if she was serious, they would consider leaving the coalition for “we won’t govern with idiots” – and the CU even called them “sympathetic.”

“Sympathetic.” It is “sympathetic” these days to force people to work less, earn less, drive entire companies into bankruptcy, and deepen the worst recession in decades.

Those who thin that socialism is dead are sorely mistaken: it’s anything but. It’s alive and well, and looking for a new victim.

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