A family welfare campaigner has given a guarded welcome to a Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) proposal to reduce the working week from 37.5 to 35 hours.

Martha Dismont, executive director of the Family Centre, said it would help if parents got more time with their children as a result. However, she warned that the need to instil a strong work ethic in youngsters must not be compromised and there must be "a statement and an expectation of what you are going to do with the 35 hours".

In addition, the Bermuda Employers' Council said the latest attempt by the BIU to secure shorter hours for its members is in need of an "economic reality check."

President Graham Redford warned:"The suggested work week reduction only speaks to a small part of the issue and might in itself have a very negative individual economic impact that will only exacerbate the problems facing families in Bermuda."

The Government won out against the union when a similar proposal in 2006 resulted in arbitration proceedings.However EducationMinister Randy Horton told a Bermuda Industrial Union banquet on Friday evening that Government is now seriously considering the latest suggestion from the union to cut the working week.

Mr. Horton, who was Acting Premier at the time of his speech, said the plan could have a positive impact on the growing problem of youth violence by allowing parents more time to spend with their children.

"Currently you are working 37.5 hours a week. Your children long for your time more than they long for anything else. This concession though should not equate to lower performance," he commented.

Responding to the news yesterday, Ms Dismont said:"If Randy Horton is considering it because he feels it's important that parents spend more time with their children then for that reason it's important that it's being considered. "But the other implications need to be considered as well in terms of our workforce and the number of hours worked in terms of our young people being encouraged to have a work ethic."

Ms Dismont said overworked parents are a "huge problem" in Bermuda, with many working three jobs to make ends meet.

"Children prefer to have families present and attention rather than (material) things. If you don't have time to spend with your children you don't understand them. "The younger ones are spending time unsupervised and it would be nice to see Bermuda as one of the countries in the world that addresses the problem."

However, she also commented:"I've talked to a lot of people in business who are struggling with the fact that a lot of young people are coming into jobs and not working as hard as they need to work for their salary

."It's very widespread that people are not demonstrating the work ethic. It's important to encourage not only young people, but anyone who expects to get a pay check, that something's expected of you more than just getting a pay cheque.

"If they reduce hours it needs to be done with it a balanced statement and expectation of what you are going to do for the 35 hours."

Ms Dismont said she was keen for more details on the union's proposal and the motivation behind it. She also expressed concern that the additional 2.5 hours could be used by parents to work other jobs rather than spend time with their kids.

"It's important it's intentional. If there are other reasons for this then they need to be seriously considered," she said.

Details of the current BIU proposal remained sketchy yesterday, with President Chris Furbert refusing to comment until a press conference that is likely to be held later today.

However, the union's plan for a 35-hour working week is not a new one. A similar 2006 proposal resulted in the BIU and the Government going to arbitration.

The Government's stance against the reduced working week at that time was backed by the Bermuda Employers' Council (BEC), and the union lost the arbitration.

William DeSilva Jr, the then-president of the BEC, described the idea as "not rooted in economic reality" and warned it would either hit services hard or land the taxpayer with a heavy overtime bill.

The then-Shadow Finance Minister Grant Gibbons has also criticised the plans, citing concerns that it could make Bermuda less economically competitive. He pointed out the problems in France after the 35-hour working week was introduced in 1998.

France's parliament passed a law on July 24 that effectively ended the country's compulsory 35-hour working week after President Nicolas Sarkozy blamed it for damaging its economic competitiveness.

Yesterday, Mr. Redford, current president of the Bermuda Employers' Council (BEC), said:"Whilst the employer community must, and does, support any reasonable effort aimed at helping parents spend quality time with their children and to bring up their children appropriately, the Bermuda Employers' Council does not believe that this bigger socio-economic issue should be tackled in a way that only focuses on a portion of the problem.

"The suggested work week reduction only speaks to a small part of the issue and might, in itself, have a very negative individual economic impact that will only exacerbate the problems facing families in Bermuda.

"We would hope that the Government will have a real and concerted dialogue with the employer community before any changes in the work week even for Government workers only are contemplated.

"The BEC has already articulated its position against any reduction in the work week and this was done in a 2007 arbitration in support of Government's resistance to the BIU's failed claim for a reduced work week.

"Bermuda is facing serious economic challenges, many of which are externally driven – competition in tourism and international business, rising energy and food costs and world financial uncertainty to name a few.

"International business is uneasy, often citing the perception that the industry does not feel welcome in today's Bermuda.

"In times of economic uncertainty we should be looking to be more productive, not less. It is a proven myth to say that the same or better productivity can be achieved in less time.

"Bermuda is not isolated from the rest of the world and the rest of the world is not moving towards a shorter work week, and for very good reasons.

"The average work week in Bermuda is already approximately 39 hours as we know from the results of the 2008 Bermuda Employers' Council Conditions and Benefits survey, so any move to reduce the work week to 35 hours would have a huge and detrimental impact on the economy.

"Bermuda's social problems do need to be tackled and employers are more than willing to be party to the dialogue, but the corresponding economic reality check must be applied."