[Draft] Standard Average Working Week

[Macwick]

4th Draft

Standard Average Working Week

Category: Social Justice
Strength: Mild

Description: World Assembly

Noting that:
GAR 21 bases the living wage on a 30 hour working week;
Most WA Nations have laws restricting the working hours of at least some members of their population;
Having the same normal working week in all nations provides a level playing field.

Concerned that social dumping takes place between WA nations;
Concerned about the detrimental effects of working too much including the increased the risk of stress, depression, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and reduced cognitive function;

Recognises that nothing in this proposal stops anyone from working as many hours as they wish in one day or in one week.

Defines the “Standard Average Working Week” as that stated or implied in all terms of employment (written or verbal).

Recognises that this proposal does not set a maximum for the number of hours worked in any one day or one week. This proposal allows anyone to work 168 hours in a week, so long as their contract doesn’t say they have to work more than 416 hours in 13 weeks and they don’t work more than 624 hours in those 13 weeks.

Recognises that this establishes a 32 hour Standard Average Working Week, and allows 40 hours a week to be worked for the course of the whole year with the agreement of the employee.

Considers:
It time that there is an internationally agreed limit to the amount of work anyone can do in a three month period and over the whole year.
That free and fair trade are enhanced when the same employment rights exist in competing economies.

Recognising that:
Some people have more than one employment.

Recognises that increased leisure time increases a person’s well-being and reduces the risk of accidents in the workplace.

Recognises that productivity gains are made when business best practice is followed by reducing the average working week.

Recognises the international need to improve working conditions to protect workers’ health and safety as some nations refuse to do this

Suggests that:
Working more than 32 hours in any one week should not be required as a condition of employment (either formally or informally).

Believes that no person should be required to work more than 30 hours (in all their paid employment) in any one week counting paid holiday as time worked.

Hereby requires every WA Nation to:

Restrict the amount of overtime a person can work over a 13 week period to an average of 16 hours a week;

Restrict the total amount of overtime a person can work in a year to an average of 8 hours a week;

Begin at once to reduce their Standard Average Working Week to 32 hours a week, if not already at this level, by reducing it by at least 5% (if required) in the first year and to have reduced it completely within seven years of this resolution being passed to 32 hours a week;

Ensure that all forms of paid employment are included when calculating both the Standard Average Working Week and overtime per week.

Ensure that all new terms of employment (written or verbal) are set at the new Standard Average Working Week that apply for that year during implement and at 32 hours a week once fully implemented.

Declare void all contracts specifying a greater Standard Average Working Week than 32 hours once that nation has implemented the Standard Average Working Week of 32 working hours a week and that the parties shall agree a new contract that has a Standard Average Working Week of 32 hours at that time.

Exempts from this requirement:
Workers who donate their time for free;
Members of the armed forces and emergency services when their nation is engaged in war or armed conflict;
Hours spent on-call when the employee doesn’t have to be at a particular location;
The self-employed but not those who contract their labour.

3rd Draft

Standard Average Working Week

Category: Social Justice
Strength: Significant

Description: World Assembly

Noting that:
GAR 21 bases the living wage on a 30 hours working week;
Most WA Nations have laws restricting the working hours of at least some members of their population;
Having the same normal working week in all nations provides a level playing field.

Concerned that social dumping takes place between WA nations;
Concerned about the detrimental effects of working too much including the increased the risk of stress, depression, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and reduced cognitive function;

Recognises that nothing in this proposal stops anyone from working as many hours as they wish in one day or in one week.

Defines the “Standard Average Working Week” as that stated or implied in all terms of employment (written or verbal).

Recognises that this establishes a 30 hour Standard Average Working Week, and allows 40 hours a week to be worked for the course of the whole year with the agreement of the employee.

Considers:
It time that there was an internationally agreed limit to the amount of work anyone can do in a three month period.
That free and fair trade are enhanced when the same employment rights exist in competing economies.

Recognising that:
There are economic costs to reducing the average working week;
Some people have more than one employment.

Recognises that increased leisure time increases a person’s well-being and reduces the risk of accidents in the workplace.

Recognises the need to improve working conditions to protect workers’ health and safety.

Suggests that:
Working more than 30 hours in any one week should not be required as a condition of employment (either formally or informally);
Overtime be restricted to an average of 15 hours a week averaged over a three month period.
The average working week should be calculated over a period of 3 months for those working flexible hours.

Believes that no person should be expected to work more than 30 hours (in all their paid employment) in any one week counting paid holiday as time worked.

Hereby requires every WA Nation to:

Restrict the amount of overtime a person can work over a 3 month period to an average of 15 hours a week;

Restrict the total amount of overtime a person can work in a year to an average of 10 hours a week;

Begin at once to reduce their Standard Average Working Week to 30 hours a week, if not already at this level, by reducing it by at least 5% (if required) in the first year and to have reduced it completely within seven years of this resolution being passed to 30 hours a week;

Ensure that all forms of paid employment are included when calculating both working hours per week and overtime per week.

Declare void all contracts specifying a greater Standard Average Working Week than 30 hours once that nation has implemented the Standard Average Working Week of 30 working hours a week and that the parties shall agree a new contract that has a Standard Average Working Week of 30 hours at that time.

Exempts from this requirement:
Workers who donate their time for free;
Members of the armed forces and emergency services when their nation is engaged in war or armed conflict;
Hours spent on-call when the employee doesn’t have to be at a particular location
The self-employed but not those who contract their labour.

2nd Draft

30 Hour Working Week

Category: Social Justice
Strength: Significant

Description: World Assembly

Noting that:
GAR 21 bases the living wage on a 30 hours working week;
Most WA Nations have laws restricting the working hours of at least some members of their population;
Having the same normal working week in all nations provides a level playing field.

Recognises that this establishes a 30 hour working week norm, and allows 40 hours a week to be worked for the course of the whole year with the agreement of the employee.

Considers:
It time that the average working week was limited to 30 hours;
That free and fair trade are enhanced when the same employment rights exist in competing economies.

Recognising that:
There are economic costs to reducing the average working week;
Some people have more than one employment.

Suggests that:
Working more than 30 hours in any one week should not be required as a condition of employment (either formally or informally);
Overtime be restricted to an average of 15 hours a week averaged over a three month period.
The average working week should be calculated over a period of 3 months for those working flexible hours.

Believes that no person should be expected to work more than 30 hours (in all their paid employment) in any one week counting paid holiday as time worked.

Hereby requires every WA Nation to:

Restrict the amount of overtime a person can work over a 3 month period to an average of 15 hours a week;

Restrict the total amount of overtime a person can work in a year to an average of 10 hours a week;

Begin at once to reduce their average working week to 30 hours a week by reducing it by at least one quarter of the difference between their current average working week and 30 hours and to have reduced it completely within four years of this resolution being passed to 30 hours a week;

Ensure that all forms of paid employment are included when calculating both working hours per week and overtime per week.

Declare void all contracts specifying a greater working week than 30 hours once that nation has reached an average of 30 working hours a week and that the parties shall agree a new contract that has a standard 30 hour working week at that time.

Exempts from this requirement:
Workers who donate their time for free;
Members of the armed forces and emergency services when their nation is engaged in war or armed conflict;
hours spent on-call when the employee doesn’t have to be at a particular location.

1st Draft

30 Hour Working Week

A resolution to reduce income inequality and increase basic welfare

Category: Social Justice
Strength: Significant

Description: World Assembly

Noting that:
GAR 21 bases the living wage on a 30 hours working week;
Most WA Nations have laws restricting the working hours of at least some members of their population;
Having the same normal working week in all nations provides a level playing field.

Considers:
It time that the average working week was limited to 30 hours;
That free and fair trade are enhanced when the same employment rights exist in competing economies.

Recognising that:
There are economic costs to reducing the average working week;
Some people have more than one employment.

Suggests that:
Working more than 30 hours in any one week should not be required as a condition of employment (either formally or informally);
Overtime be restricted to an average of 15 hours a week averaged over a three month period.
The average working week should be calculated over a period of 3 months for those working flexible hours.

Requires that:
Working more than 30 hours in any one week should not be required as a condition of employment (either formally or informally);
Overtime be restricted to an average of 15 hours a week averaged over a three month period.

Believes that no person should be expected to work more than 30 hours (in all their paid employment) in any one week counting paid holiday as time worked.

Hereby requires every WA Nation to:

Restrict the amount of overtime a person can work over a 3 month period to an average of 15 hours a week;

Restrict the total amount of overtime a person can work in a year to an average of 10 hours a week;

Begin at once to reduce their average working week to 30 hours a week by reducing it by at least one quarter of the difference between their current average working week and 30 hours and to have reduced it completely within four years of this resolution being passed to 30 hours a week;

Ensure that all forms of paid employment are included when calculating both working hours per week and overtime per week.

Declare void all contracts specifying a greater working week than 30 hours once that nation has reached an average of 30 working hours a week and that the parties shall agree a new contract that has a standard 30 hour working week at that time.

Exempts from this requirement:
Workers in the voluntary sector, who donate their time as they choose;
Members of the armed forces and emergency services when their nation is engaged in war or armed conflict.

I would like to propose this, but I haven’t proposed anything before and so would appreciate all assistance people wish to give.

[Chester Pearson]

How is does this reduce income equality again?

[Lexicor]

1st Draft

30 Hour Working Week

A resolution to reduce income inequality and increase basic welfare


Category: Social Justice
Strength: Significant

Description: World Assembly
The game will add these mechanics automatically. All you need is the Category and Strength. See other proposals for formatting.

Noting that:

GAR 21 bases the living wage on a 30 hours working week;

A blatant appeal of popularity.

Most WA Nations have laws restricting the working hours of at least some members of their population;

Another blatant appeal to popularity with no evidence to show for it.

Having the same normal working week in all nations provides a level playing field.

Prove it. Also, why does the global economy need to be a level playing field? This assembly is filled with rich and poor, galatic and isle nations with all sorts of weird and bizzare creatures. How on earth does forcing a change to how many hours [what the hell is an hour anyway?] make a level playing field.

Considers:

It time that the average working week was limited to 30 hours;

Why? You need to make a compelling case for this statement. Hint: This is not an international issue.

That free and fair trade are enhanced when the same employment rights exist in competing economies.

No. You just lower overall productivity by creating a ceiling for hours. Also, how would this be enforced?

Recognising that:

There are economic costs to reducing the average working week;

Exactly. Leave it for nations to decide at a national level instead of micromanaging their social policy.

Some people have more than one employment.

Uneeded at best. A shot in the foot at worst.

Suggests that:

Working more than 30 hours in any one week should not be required as a condition of employment (either formally or informally);

This clause is both suggested and required.

Overtime be restricted to an average of 15 hours a week averaged over a three month period.

No. Let the company and employed decide that.

The average working week should be calculated over a period of 3 months for those working flexible hours.

No.
Requires that:

Working more than 30 hours in any one week should not be required as a condition of employment (either formally or informally);

Umm, what about 24/7 jobs, buisness owners where they work more than 30 hours a week. Unless buisnessmen are unemployed by your definition?

Overtime be restricted to an average of 15 hours a week averaged over a three month period.

Let this matter be solved between employer and employee.

Believes that no person should be expected to work more than 30 hours (in all their paid employment) in any one week counting paid holiday as time worked.

Jolly good. Implement that in your nation, don't force it down the international communities windpipe!

Hereby requires every WA Nation to:

Restrict the amount of overtime a person can work over a 3 month period to an average of 15 hours a week;

Restrict the total amount of overtime a person can work in a year to an average of 10 hours a week;

Begin at once to reduce their average working week to 30 hours a week by reducing it by at least one quarter of the difference between their current average working week and 30 hours and to have reduced it completely within four years of this resolution being passed to 30 hours a week;

Ensure that all forms of paid employment are included when calculating both working hours per week and overtime per week.

Declare void all contracts specifying a greater working week than 30 hours once that nation has reached an average of 30 working hours a week and that the parties shall agree a new contract that has a standard 30 hour working week at that time.

Exempts from this requirement:
Workers in the voluntary sector, who donate their time as they choose;
Members of the armed forces and emergency services when their nation is engaged in war or armed conflict.

A morsel of sanity in this resolution.

[Macwick]

How is does this reduce income equality again?

I wanted to state it enhanced free trade but I don’t think the Mods would allow it. I thought Social Justice is the opposite of Free Trade. However it seems I shouldn’t have included, “A resolution to reduce income inequality and increase basic welfare”.

With regard to the comments by Lexicor.
The reference to GAR 21 is to show that 30 hours a week is not an arbitrary number thought up by me, but it is one already used by the WA.
Is an appeal for popularity a bad thing?
An “hour” was used in GAR 21 and wasn’t defined so I assumed it was OK to use the term.

It is recognised in the EU that having the same employment laws provide a level playing field in the single market.

I thought that my notes section had provided the case for it being time for this proposal. Have you any suggestions for what I could add to counter your objection?

It is not true that reducing working hours always reduces productivity. I believe that in the past when working hours have been reduced productivity often increased.

As far as I can tell not all WA resolutions have to have a committee to check that they are implemented. I thought that all passed WA proposals are implemented and enforced in member nations.

I don’t understand why pointing out that some people have more than one employment is a shot in the foot. It links into the requirement to ensure all employment is included.

I will take on board that “Working more than 30 hours in any one week should not be required as a condition of employment (either formally or informally);” is both suggested and required.

A business owner and everyone else under this proposal would still be able to work 40 hours a week, and would benefit from no longer being a workaholic.

[Normlpeople]

OOC: NS is not RL. What does, or does not work in the EU is irrelivant.

IC: "What is it with the socialist run on the WA lately? Seriously, the hours worked are decided by national guidelines and agreements between the employer and employee. It is not an international issue that the WA has to micromanage general employment standards."

[Bears Armed]

Obviously it's really an 'International Security' proposal, because if it were to pass then member nations would have to increase the sizes of their armed forces significantly in order to still have the same numbers of personnel available for combat at any particular time...

[Separatist Peoples]

:eyebrow:
Obviously it's really an 'International Security' proposal, because if it were to pass then member nations would have to increase the sizes of their armed forces significantly in order to still have the same numbers of personnel available for combat at any particular time...

"Indeed. We'll keep our 40 hour workweek, thanks. Opposed."

[Louisistan]

:eyebrow:
Obviously it's really an 'International Security' proposal, because if it were to pass then member nations would have to increase the sizes of their armed forces significantly in order to still have the same numbers of personnel available for combat at any particular time...

"Indeed. We'll keep our 40 hour workweek, thanks. Opposed."

Deputy Ambassador Schulz is chewing a piece of Schnitzel when he shouts: "Yeah! What Ambassador Bell said!" with little bits of meat and spit flying out of his mouth.

[Wrapper]

This is... not a very good idea, especially for our scientists in the outer reaches of space. Why, we would have to double the occupancy of our space stations to keep our research experiments running continuously. Oh, and, our medical staff on off-world colonies, are they supposed to work only four hours a day? On worlds with 28-hour days? Or shall we triple the number of badly-needed doctors we send to the frontiers, leaving them idle for three-quarters of their time? This is nonsense, as long as people are more than adequately compensated for the important work they due, this is not an issue.

[Grays Harbor]

We see nothing which convinces us this is a good idea.

[Ardchoille]

Clarification: "hours, "days", etc, is not a legality problem. ICly, the GA translators switch them to the equivalent unit in your language. OOCly, it's like "coffee", "gun" or "February"; terms accepted by mod fiat because we're not into nitpicking to that degree. Plus, the proposal character limit would make explaining them prohibitive.

[Honor and Glory]

"I'm not sure I understand how limiting hours in a work week will level the international playing field, and more importantly how limiting overtime will do anything other than hurt the worker. If a Gloryian is willing to work 20 hours a week overtime and the employer is fine paying for it I see no reason to force them to stop. Honor and Glory will not be backing this resolution at this time."

[Omigodtheykilledkenny]

30 hour workweek?! What is this, France?!

[Frustrated Franciscans]

How is does this reduce income equality again?

OOC: There are times you make a great straight man

Completely OOC as I don't think my Franciscans have that much capitalistic bones in their bodies. Let's assume that we have a 40 hour work week. Now let us assume an employer who has a budget to pay people for 120 hours a week. He hires 3 employees at the current wage.

Now let's assume that he has to give no more than 30 hours to each employee. He now has the budget to pay for 4 employees but each employee only gets 3/4 the amount of money that they would have gotten had they worked the 40 hours.

Where was that one person when everyone was working the 40 hour work week? Well unemployed, of course.

So let's recap.

Before, you had 3 people at a 100% weekly income, and one person at a 0% weekly income.

After you have 4 people at a 75% weekly income.

See how everything is more equal? Three people are less happy, but one is more happy.

Mind you, this all requires that one additional unemployed person in the mix. Otherwise, no one is happy.

[Macwick]

Firstly I would like to thank the esteemed representative from Frustrated Franciscans for their support.

Next I would like to modify an answer I gave earlier to the representative from Lexicor. Business owners could get away with working more than 40 hours a week. Why wouldn’t they be able to claim any extra hours were voluntary?

Turning to the point made by the esteemed representative from Bears Armed and supported by a couple of other representatives. I think on closer inspection you will find you are mistaken. I of course refer you to one of the exclusion clauses, so liked and praised by the representative from Lexicor – “Exempts from this requirement: Members of the armed forces and emergency services when their nation is engaged in war or armed conflict.” There will be no need for any extra personnel in the armed forces because there is no limit to the number of hours they can work during a war or armed conflict.

The representative from Wrapper raises an interesting point. This proposal may increase the number of particular workers a society needs and there is not much that can be done about that consequence. Shop assistants is another example. In an alternative universe there is a country called the UK and it introduced Sunday shopping. This didn’t result in shop assistants having to work more hours it lead to more shop assistants being employed. Turning to the situation where someone has to work away from home for a time, this proposal may have consequences, which could be that the tour of duty would have to be reduced. Instead of unlimited tours being acceptable they would have to be closer to ten weeks assuming workers are currently working a 40 hour week, but we know lots of nations have 37 hour weeks. So the tour of duty could be ten and a half weeks.

I have just been informed that in that alternative universe I was talking about, overtime in Japan is limited to 15 hours in one week, 27 hours in two weeks, 43 in four weeks, 45 hours in a month, 81 hours in two months and 120 hours in three months making the annual average just less than 9 and a quarter. I just thought I would share this with you. Sorry I digress!

The issue of being adequately compensated has been addressed by the WA Resolution 21 that applies even in Wrapper. Employees in his country get paid 25% above the basic poverty line and if they have a dependent 25% above the dependent poverty line. If we assume a 40 hour week then and please excuse me if I get this wrong a single person receives 58% above the basic poverty line and someone with a dependent 58% above the dependent poverty line.

OCC Thank you Ardchoille.

[Jarish Inyo]

How is this an international issue? Why should the WA mandate what a work week should be? Why should a business owner have to volunteer their time to keep their business running? What make anyone think that anyone will hire another person?

[Normlpeople]

How is this an international issue?

"This is ultimately the question I must ask. How does the amount of hours cubicle drone 2437 works in my nation affect anything in Jarish Inyo or Macwick? Or anywhere that could qualify this as an international issue?"

[Ardchoille]

For the legality commentators: when you're done with discussion of the "income inequality" angle, you might want to play with

• the special requirements of Significant and Strong SJ proposals
• does National Economic Freedoms apply -- ie, does this affect nations' regulation of commerce within their jurisdiction?

Someone might like to knock over House of Cards, too.

EDIT: Not saying you have to stop bouncing income inequality around, or that anyone has to stop saying why they can/can't support the proposal. Just a nudge for when things get slow.

[Separatist Peoples]

"Bloody hell, this dreck is the last thing the C.D.S.P. needs. This will tank capitalist economies without a 40 hour work week, ambassador. As the Franciscans have pointed out, reducing work time 75% to accommodate would free up roughly an equivalent amount to hire a new employee to cover the remaining 25% of work...except the author hasn't bothered to consider the cost of benefits. Assuming 30 hours is the new full-time mark to hit, employers will have to offer similar benefits for full time employees that they already have, and then need to offer yet another 25% increase to that, with no corresponding increase in production. Three people working 40 hours a week comes to 120 manhours. Four people working thirty hours a week is still 120 manhours, yet benefits cost have increased to 125% of the pre-30 hours a week level.

"I suppose we could always slash the quality of benefits to accommodate for the cost...but then the onus for those services is right back on the employee. All this shit does is spread the misery around to everybody. And that doesn't even touch on the fact that this ABSOLUTELY affects nation's regulation of commerce (seriously, how do labor laws not?), and ABSOLUTELY runs afoul of National Economic Freedoms. Ah, poor Inky would have an aneurism out of frustration if he heard that NEF was being noticed by the powers-that-be again...

"Which still doesn't touch on the fact that domestic labor laws are absolutely, unequivocally not an international issue."

[Lexicor]

But.. CDSP... think of the sad and o so poor, poor proletariat slaving away under the evil capitalist bourgeoisie!

[Separatist Peoples]

But.. CDSP... think of the sad and o so poor, poor proletariat slaving away under the evil capitalist bourgeoisie!

"Pardon me as I stash my top hat and paint my gold tooth white. Should this pass, the logical reaction for business is to cut all benefits programs. This is why we can't have nice things. And my name is Bell, you fool. You've been here long enough to learn my name!"

[Lexicor]

But.. CDSP... think of the sad and o so poor, poor proletariat slaving away under the evil capitalist bourgeoisie!

"Pardon me as I stash my top hat and paint my gold tooth white. Should this pass, the logical reaction for business is to cut all benefits programs. This is why we can't have nice things. And my name is Bell, you fool. You've been here long enough to learn my name!"

My apologies Ambassador, it seems that my stay in the Strangers Bar is having unexpected consequences... as for our businesses, we would have to... triple our prices...

Jean says as he slumps in his chair, starting to snore. The long night of drinking clearly taking its toll on him. He mumbles in his sleep, and a flock of young interns all desperate for an actual job not involving paperwork and the drudgery of data entry in the office swarm him. He mumbles some more and squeals of joy erupt from a few of them. Ambassador Braussaurd continued to mumble positions that needed to be filled, his mind was constantly warped by the need to hire more people so he could get better [and more visually appealing] interns to work for free. Jean was a patriarchal, drunk bastard he was indeed!

OOC: Sorry for the extensive text, just had a bit of inspiration for developing the Ambassador Jean-Luc Braussaurd.

[Macwick]

With reference to France as raised by the honourable representative from Omigodtheykilledkenny – this goes further than France and their 35 hour working week. However staying with France let us turn to the representative from Jarish Inyo. When France introduced the 35 hour working week in 2000 it did not result in businesses hiring more workers, it result in increased productivity. Let me repeat that – increased productivity. This is not about forcing employers to do anything accept not force their employees to work more than 30 hours a week, because this proposal allows people to work 40 hours a week but only if they agree to work the overtime.

Perhaps I should add another clause for clarification.

Recognises that this proposal establishes a 30 hour working week norm, and allows 40 hours a week to be worked for the course of the whole year with the agreement of the employee.

I think the representative from Jarish Inyo will discover that business owners often work more hours than anyone else and don’t receive any extra pay for doing so, and that these extra hours are already voluntary.

In answer to the representatives from Jarish Inyo and Normlpeople, I am sure they have the same objections to all proposals that increase Social Justice and increase regulations on employers.

I wonder if some representatives have given this proposal the detailed scrutiny that the dru .., ambassador from Lexitor has. To the representative from Separatist Peoples if your workers wish to work 40 hours a week this proposal allows it. And again I point out if someone works less hours their productivity increases. I know that is hard to believe, but true none the less. Therefore those 4 workers will be producing more than the 3 workers, but the utility costs will have not increased.


OCC I don’t see this as any stronger than the Living Wage resolution that set a minimum income. This is only setting a maximum working week.

This resolution doesn’t need GAR 23 in any way and is not affect if that resolution was repealed. Noting that it just uses the same 30 hour working week to define full time employment would still be true even if it is repealed. If my understanding of House of Cards rule is wrong please can someone point out how this is so?

I have already stated out that Social Justice is the opposite of Free Trade and the Free Trade category is defined to include the removal of regulations on business/industry and this imposes regulations. The regulation of working hours is not a socialist policy and has been done by liberal governments. I couldn’t see a category called “National Economic Freedoms” in the General Assembly Proposal Categories posted by Kryozerkia. I could only see economic freedoms referred to under Free Trade / Social Justice.

[Ardchoille]

National Economic Freedoms is GA Resolution #68, which you can chase up here in the very useful Past Resolutions thread.

I'm leaving it to players to explain how to write your proposal to fit it, if you and they decide that a shorter working week is indeed an attempt to regulate commerce. Some players may want to argue that it is, others that it's not.

As to the strength, mild SJ proposals don't have the same healthcare requirement that stronger ones do, so if you're going with Significant you'll have to write in a healthcare component. Again, players will have advice for you.

With regard to the Social Justice category and the three strengths, when determining whether or not your policy is mild, strong or significant ask yourself, are you covering general welfare, or are you including healthcare:

You're better positioned to know if Social Justice actually increases healthcare. If it doesn't, then I withdraw my complaint. But if it does, then I think this discussion is only talking about one side of the solution.

It does, but only if the strength of the resolution is "significant" or "strong", not "mild."

EDIT: Good, you knocked over HoC easily.

[Jarish Inyo]

With reference to France as raised by the honourable representative from Omigodtheykilledkenny – this goes further than France and their 35 hour working week. However staying with France let us turn to the representative from Jarish Inyo. When France introduced the 35 hour working week in 2000 it did not result in businesses hiring more workers, it result in increased productivity. Let me repeat that – increased productivity. This is not about forcing employers to do anything accept not force their employees to work more than 30 hours a week, because this proposal allows people to work 40 hours a week but only if they agree to work the overtime.

Perhaps I should add another clause for clarification.

Recognises that this proposal establishes a 30 hour working week norm, and allows 40 hours a week to be worked for the course of the whole year with the agreement of the employee.

I think the representative from Jarish Inyo will discover that business owners often work more hours than anyone else and don’t receive any extra pay for doing so, and that these extra hours are already voluntary.

In answer to the representatives from Jarish Inyo and Normlpeople, I am sure they have the same objections to all proposals that increase Social Justice and increase regulations on employers.

I wonder if some representatives have given this proposal the detailed scrutiny that the dru .., ambassador from Lexitor has. To the representative from Separatist Peoples if your workers wish to work 40 hours a week this proposal allows it. And again I point out if someone works less hours their productivity increases. I know that is hard to believe, but true none the less. Therefore those 4 workers will be producing more than the 3 workers, but the utility costs will have not increased.


OCC I don’t see this as any stronger than the Living Wage resolution that set a minimum income. This is only setting a maximum working week.

This resolution doesn’t need GAR 23 in any way and is not affect if that resolution was repealed. Noting that it just uses the same 30 hour working week to define full time employment would still be true even if it is repealed. If my understanding of House of Cards rule is wrong please can someone point out how this is so?

I have already stated out that Social Justice is the opposite of Free Trade and the Free Trade category is defined to include the removal of regulations on business/industry and this imposes regulations. The regulation of working hours is not a socialist policy and has been done by liberal governments. I couldn’t see a category called “National Economic Freedoms” in the General Assembly Proposal Categories posted by Kryozerkia. I could only see economic freedoms referred to under Free Trade / Social Justice.

I don't see Social Justice in this. Why is this an international concern? You haven't proven this is something that needs to be regulated.

Would this in violation of National Economic Freedoms as it does effect production?