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UK work time opt-out under threat

The problem it solves is the bubble in the UK for example, where everyone now have to work more than 48 hours to keep up with everyone else which does that, creating a situation where its almost impossible NOT to work under 48 hours. Yes, it has made the UK one of the most effective economies of the world, but the population are slaves of companies while having minimal lives of their own.

But according to you, they still can work 48 hours a week. They just have to jump through hoops to do so. So what does this law do except make it hard for people who want to work 48 hours a week to do so?
 
What about family time? What about time to make good healthy cooking? Time to exercise? Time to play and enjoy? Time to study and learn? Time to do things around the house, or improve on it? Time to sleep well? And so on..

As I said in the other thread. Intelligent people can add up how much time they spend on certain activities and make a proper schedule. I can't believe there are really people out there so unwilling/unable to put in an honest days work that they think there government should basically support them. Ridiculous.
 
I think this one choice is pretty damn good. In my opinion a protection of human rights to live a life of their own and not for a company.

It is their choice! They are willing to work more hours to improve their own quality of life. It should not be up to the government or anyone else to decide how best to do that.
 
What about family time? What about time to make good healthy cooking? Time to exercise? Time to play and enjoy? Time to study and learn? Time to do things around the house, or improve on it? Time to sleep well? And so on..


Who says all this means the same thing to everyone?

Nobody except you. Everyones different and has different outlooks and priorities in life.


Why do you feel the need to regulate people's lives just because you have a problem?
 
Good thing.As long as for yourself the hours arent limited.
 
Wow. That law would create havoc here during major snowstorms and other natural emergencies when utility, public works, medical and law enforcement work around the clock.
 
The problem is they need a better job...or a better union...or the government to stop taking so much of their money.

Government has to take all of their money. No other way to pay for socialized healthcare.

This thread is confusing. Maybe the BBC and the original poster just aren't explaining this correctly. I mean I can understand if they are against MANDATORY overtime which some places have like Police or some industries. But a regulation against voluntary overtime?

There's got to be something I'm missing. Yeah you miss out at being with the family but not working doesn't solve any economic problem. If someone wants or needs more money and the company is willing to allow it then I don't see why not. If "keeping up" means attempting to live beyond your means then thats a whole different thing all together.

Right now I'm pretty much scratching my head.
 
As I said in the other thread. Intelligent people can add up how much time they spend on certain activities and make a proper schedule. I can't believe there are really people out there so unwilling/unable to put in an honest days work that they think there government should basically support them. Ridiculous.

Whats dishonest about the work I do? Nothing, I just work less, no crime that. Whats dishonest about working less? Nothing. Whats dishonest about having a life other than just work? Nothing..

I dont need a schedule, lol.. You need schedules? Thats how your life is, you need a schedule to manage the little private time you have? :shock:
 
Government has to take all of their money. No other way to pay for socialized healthcare.

This thread is confusing. Maybe the BBC and the original poster just aren't explaining this correctly. I mean I can understand if they are against MANDATORY overtime which some places have like Police or some industries. But a regulation against voluntary overtime?

There's got to be something I'm missing. Yeah you miss out at being with the family but not working doesn't solve any economic problem. If someone wants or needs more money and the company is willing to allow it then I don't see why not. If "keeping up" means attempting to live beyond your means then thats a whole different thing all together.

Right now I'm pretty much scratching my head.


No, its regulation of any work time over 48 hours.. A normal contract is say 40 hours, the 8 hours between 40 and 48 is normal overtime which is pretty easy to get, over 48 hours will get tough regulation so that people aren't enslaved by their jobs unless they absolutely need to and want to.
 
Wow. That law would create havoc here during major snowstorms and other natural emergencies when utility, public works, medical and law enforcement work around the clock.

It applies to REGULAR contract work.. Not those type of jobs.
 
Government has to take all of their money. No other way to pay for socialized healthcare.

That's not how our National Health Service is paid for...

It's paid through taxes on cigerettes & alcohol, duties on oil and other products. We do pay contributions through National Insurance but it's pretty miniscule compared to the taxes and duties collected elsewhere. Sorry if that ruined your point. :lol:
 
Aren't the arguments people are using against this the exact same arguments against the 12- and 8-hour work week?:roll:
 
Whats dishonest about the work I do? Nothing, I just work less, no crime that. Whats dishonest about working less? Nothing. Whats dishonest about having a life other than just work? Nothing..

I dont need a schedule, lol.. You need schedules? Thats how your life is, you need a schedule to manage the little private time you have? :shock:

It's not that working less itself is dishonest, it's what you demand for working less. You feel entitled to all the luxuries of life without believing you should put in the effort to achieve them. That's dishonest. You refuse to live by the sweat of your brow, instead believing that the collective should support everyone through the use of socialist government. You want the big house, the energy, the car, the internet, the TV, ect. but believe that it's unreasonable to have to put in work to get it. It's inconceivable in this country that laziness is rewarded. You're free to be lazy here, but you have to reap the consequences for doing so.

And of course I have schedules...it's called being productive! I like my work, I spend tons and tons of time doing it. Science is great, and I'll always spend tons of time doing it, research is great and I'll always spend tons of time doing it. I like hanging out with my friends, I like playing video games, I like riding my motorcycle, etc. All these things have times associated with them, I plan it out. So I can still get the work done I need to and use my spare time to the utmost efficiency. Sure, if I could sleep 10 hours a day, do 5 hours worth of "work" and f off for the other 9 hours, I wouldn't have to make a plan. But I wouldn't accomplish anything either; and there's nothing good about being a lazy jerk who never accomplishes anything. Finishing is fun, it's something to take pride in. Putting your all into a project and coming out on the other side with a finished product...there's nothing like it.

If everyone where like you, you understand that the human race would not have progressed as far as it has, right? If people only put in 5 hours of half assed work, we wouldn't have all the stuff we have now. We wouldn't have the knowledge or the technology or the ability to support lazy people who don't want to put in an honest days work. Your life style is completely counter to the whole of human evolution. You waste that brain nature designed, you waste the potential that humans have. Waste of space is what I'd call it. You should be damned well thankful that there are others the opposite of you that have made the vaccines and electronics and advancements in all aspects of science which has further driven technology to lead to a better, more comfortable life style for you. Thank your lucky stars we ain't all so lazy. You couldn't be as lazy as you are currently without us industrious folk.

I think living a life without accomplishment would be boring and unsatisfying.
 
Aren't the arguments people are using against this the exact same arguments against the 12- and 8-hour work week?:roll:

Who the hell only works 12 or 8 hours a week? If you mean work day, I put in about 12 every day. More if you count the reading and math I do at home. This argument doesn't follow all the way down. If this is too much so we need less...it can't be taken to the limit which is 0 work. So at some point we're going to have to accept that if we want to get anything done, someone's gonna have to do some work. Once you reduce the work week too much, you'll stop being able to get things done. Most places that are hourly in the US is 40 hour work week and above that is overtime. Salary is a different thing. People who get paid salary, even though the salary tends to be high, tend to put in a lot of work. It's been worked out on that one, you couldn't afford to pay some of these people hourly. Like scientists, give them 90K+ a year cause that's a steal. If you paid them for their actual time spent doing their job...you'd be in for a hell of a lot more money than that.
 
It's not that working less itself is dishonest, it's what you demand for working less. You feel entitled to all the luxuries of life without believing you should put in the effort to achieve them. That's dishonest. You refuse to live by the sweat of your brow, instead believing that the collective should support everyone through the use of socialist government. You want the big house, the energy, the car, the internet, the TV, ect. but believe that it's unreasonable to have to put in work to get it. It's inconceivable in this country that laziness is rewarded. You're free to be lazy here, but you have to reap the consequences for doing so.

What the hell are you talking about? I am happy like it is. I think its fair to have an upper limit to work, most Europeans manage fine with 40 hours of working and have the same luxuries as you.

Why do you say I am lazy, I am not. I use say 20 hours a week to work out/exercise, making my distribution of work a bit different than yours.

Do you not think the property market is quite bad though? Bubbled prices because of enormous loans that people take, forcing them to work many decades to pay it down, working like slaves..?


And of course I have schedules...it's called being productive!

You said you used a schedule to manage your private time, sorry to say it but thats quite sad.
I respect you for liking your work so much, but its maybe a bit too much since you have to managed the private life with schedules?

Sure, if I could sleep 10 hours a day, do 5 hours worth of "work" and f off for the other 9 hours, I wouldn't have to make a plan. But I wouldn't accomplish anything either; and there's nothing good about being a lazy jerk who never accomplishes anything.
So, you are saying its not possible to accomplish something in less time? Its called effectiveness.. Ask the French, they only work 35 hours a week and have a comparable economy to your, but per hour worked they are the most effective of any western country.

Finishing is fun, it's something to take pride in. Putting your all into a project and coming out on the other side with a finished product...there's nothing like it.

I completely agree with this, I am a semi-professional entrepreneur also, hoping that I can move onto this area full time eventually.


If everyone where like you, you understand that the human race would not have progressed as far as it has, right?

What are you actually saying here? I think you are prejudice and judging me for having more comfortable hours than you..

If people only put in 5 hours of half assed work,

Stop right there.... What the heck are you assuming here? I put in 6 1/2 hours of extreme work 4 days a week. I deserve 1 the one hour break I have every day and the 3 day weekend. I often take vacation for months, I enjoy that as well, what about you, you never have any vacation either then I guess..?


Your life style is completely counter to the whole of human evolution. You waste that brain nature designed, you waste the potential that humans have. Waste of space is what I'd call it.

What the hell is wrong with you? I work and I take care of my body also, I eat healthy and I study every single day.. What the heck is counter to human evolution of that? Id say its one step further from just working, having sex and sleeping.


You should be damned well thankful that there are others the opposite of you that have made the vaccines and electronics and advancements in all aspects of science which has further driven technology to lead to a better, more comfortable life style for you. Thank your lucky stars we ain't all so lazy. You couldn't be as lazy as you are currently without us industrious folk.

Most likely I will accomplish A LOT more than you with a LOT less work.
 
What the hell are you talking about? I am happy like it is. I think its fair to have an upper limit to work, most Europeans manage fine with 40 hours of working and have the same luxuries as you.

Except it isn't an upper limit to work, it's a system that makes it difficult for a person who wants to work overtime to work overtime. You still haven't shown that to be positive in the slightest
 
Except it isn't an upper limit to work, it's a system that makes it difficult for a person who wants to work overtime to work overtime. You still haven't shown that to be positive in the slightest

You can still work 8 hours of overtime easily if you have a 40 hour contract, but anything more than that is heavily regulated like it ought to be.
 
You can still work 8 hours of overtime easily if you have a 40 hour contract, but anything more than that is heavily regulated like it ought to be.

Why should it be regulated? Are unions in Europe so weak or so stupid that they can't negotiate their own contracts and need government to do it for them?
 
You can still work 8 hours of overtime easily if you have a 40 hour contract, but anything more than that is heavily regulated like it ought to be.

Why should it be if a person wishes to work more than 48 hours a week? Once again - what does this do besides make it difficult for somebody who voluntarily wants to work 48+ hours a week to do so?
 
Most likely I will accomplish A LOT more than you with a LOT less work.

I dare you to try to do the job of a physicist in 5 hours a day and 3 days off a week.
 
Why should it be regulated? Are unions in Europe so weak or so stupid that they can't negotiate their own contracts and need government to do it for them?

I think Unions have a weaker position in Europe than it does in America.. I didn't think Unions were so strong in America, and they clearly aren't with the times you put into work over there.
 
You keep changing how much time you put in. First it was 30 hours/week. Then it was 6 1/2 per day, and now you're up to 7 1/2. I assume that 7 1/2 doesn't count your lunch break which is probably an hour, so you're down to 6 1/2 hours. And didn't you say that you got a 10 min break/hour? In 6 hours, that an hour; so that takes you down to 5 1/2 hours per day...so what is it?
 
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