Europe's first auto giant switches to a four-day working week: salaries even increased

Lamborghini, an Italian auto giant, is introducing a four-day work week for its employees on a permanent basis. This is the first time in the European automotive industry that a significant reduction in working hours has been achieved, not only without cutting wages but also with an increase in them.

Lamborghini has signed a corresponding agreement with trade unions. It is about the introduction of a four-day working week for workers in manufacturing professions, Reuters reports.

"Work less but do better". This is the principle that accompanied the negotiations and is part of the broader discussions," the FIOM and FIM-CISL unions said after the agreement with Lamborghini.

It is emphasized that workers at the company's factories work on a rotational basis, mostly in two shifts. Now they will alternate a five-day week with a four-day week. As a result, the total number of working days will be reduced by 22 days a year, the unions said.

Some Lamborghini employees work three shifts, including night shifts. For such employees, each five-day week will alternate with two four-day weeks. They will have 31 fewer working days per year.

At the same time, employees' salaries will be increased by 50%. In addition, a one-time bonus of EUR 1,000 is provided for November 2023.

The agreement with Lamborghini is expected to be part of a broader review of contracts in the automotive sector. In particular, the new rules may affect other divisions of Volkswagen, whose subsidiary Lamborghini is.

The agency notes that many companies and government agencies are already changing their approaches to work to improve employee well-being. In addition, studies show that the four-day week helps companies save resources, which has become especially important after the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs.

In Italy, these trends have become very noticeable. In particular, the Italian banking group Intesa Sanpaolo recently announced that 70% of the nearly 30 thousand people who had the opportunity to request a four-day work week did so, and the number of requests is growing. In January, the bank began to shorten its workweek to reduce energy bills, the first such move by a major Italian employer.

Additionally, eyewear maker Essilorluxottica has agreed with unions to test a four-day workweek at Italian factories for 20 weeks. Other Italian groups, including aerospace and defense group Leonardo, are also in talks with unions to introduce more flexible working hours at their production sites.

"Four-day workweek schemes... have shown that employees work more in less time, job retention and recruitment have improved, and sickness rates have fallen," the agency notes. As an example, it cites the results of studies conducted in the UK and Spain.

A large experiment to introduce a four-day week in Canada has also recently been completed. The testing lasted for a year and showed promising results. Most participants decided to keep the four-day week even after the experiment ended.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, scientists estimate that in 10 years, artificial intelligence will allow millions of employees to reduce the working week to 4 days. AI can significantly increase labor productivity, which will allow people to get more time for rest and self-development.

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