Green Party wants to see three-day weekend

The new 2020 manifesto pledge was put forward by joint leaders Jonathan Bartley and Caroline Lucas, the Greens’ only MP.

Speaking on BBC’s Talkback show today, Green Party MLA Clare Bailey said that while the idea was not party policy, it was “a conversation worth having”.

The party has pointed to a report by the New Economics Foundation thinktank which called for a 21 hour working week.

Ms Bailey added: “By moving to a 21-hour working week, we can have a more sustainable and prosperous economy.

“Society has moved on and the economy has moved on. Our workforce is becoming a lot more driven by technology so we don’t spend the time on the factory floors that we used to.

“Evidence is beginning to show that if we reduce working hours and make our workplaces a better environment, productivity skyrockets.”

However, UUP MLA Doug Beattie described the notion as “wholly unrealistic”, adding that a reduction in the working week would put huge strain on employers.

He told the News Letter: “It would be great if we lived in a society where people could work fewer hours.

“But the reality is that employers would nearly need to double the minimum wage so that employees could make a living. It is simply untenable.”