Shorter work week could ease job losses

I am writing to you about the letter in your paper recently (Jan 17), which said that a 4 1/2 day week would solve unemployment.

I think this would be great if it worked, so I thought I would check it against the proposed job losses in Ulster Bank.

The figures that I have from the Irish Examiner of Jan 12 say that 18% of the retail and branch division of the bank would lose their jobs and be paid redundancy or pension. This means that 82% would keep their jobs.

If these were put on a 4 1/2 day week this 82% could rise by 1/9 to 91% and the actual job losses would be 9%, or half the number in the Ulster Bank plan.

Hence, it seems to me, that the basic idea is worth following up in other banks, to save more people losing jobs.

Sinead Kavanagh

Howth Road

Clontarf

Dublin 3