german unions call for healthy lunchtime siesta

[bcbm]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/17/german-unions-lunchtime-siestas-naps

[Vanguard1917]

I assume with the support of some of Germany's biggest companies, who already promote this because it's good for productivity...

Not meaning to get all metaphorical, but i thought workers' militancy was meant to be about waking up and fighting back.

[bcbm]

workers militancy is about securing better working conditions

[Ocean Seal]

I assume with the support of some of Germany's biggest companies, who already promote this because it's good for productivity...

Not meaning to get all metaphorical, but i thought workers' militancy was meant to be about waking up and fighting back.
We are fighting back, so that we can have a healthy siesta time and wake up energized to fight the bourgeoisie.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I assume with the support of some of Germany's biggest companies, who already promote this because it's good for productivity...

Not meaning to get all metaphorical, but i thought workers' militancy was meant to be about waking up and fighting back.

I'm sure Germany's biggest companies also support public education, what with it giving them a large skilled workforce they don't have to pay for directly. But an educated working class is also more effective at fighting back.

The point here being that class interests can coincide, without necessarily having the same motivations.

[Vanguard1917]

That's a fair point, of course, but what's being proposed exactly? A longer lunch break at the expense of a longer day? That seems to be the implication from the comment of the electrician quoted in the article.

Also, when seen in the context of the current dire state of trade-unionism in Germany, proposals like this (no doubt featuring very high on the list of militant trade-union demands throughout history) have a certain gimmicky quality.

[bcbm]

That's a fair point, of course, but what's being proposed exactly? A longer lunch break at the expense of a longer day? That seems to be the implication from the comment of the electrician quoted in the article.

one of the comments on the article suggested that some of the companies that have started doing this have not extended the workday.

[Die Neue Zeit]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/17/german-unions-lunchtime-siestas-naps

Shouldn't this be in Worker Struggles? I learned all about nice siesta breaks from teacher experiences in France, Italy, and Spain.

[Blackburn]

What I've found from experience is that workers, especially office workers, can get the same amount of work done whether they work 5 or 8 hours in the day. A lot of time is wasted with pace and slowing down. When I was made a Manager of a local office, I cut the work day from 8:45am to 5:15pm to 9-5, to bring it in line with head office. Nothing noticeable was lost in productivity. It made me realise rigid work hours are an archaic and unproductive concept. It simply makes the Capitalist happy to think his wage slaves are working hard all that time.

[bcbm]

Shouldn't this be in Worker Struggles? I learned all about nice siesta breaks from teacher experiences in France, Italy, and Spain.

the article seemed more focused on the health benefits so i posted it here.