Fórsa is to play a lead role in the Irish leg of an international campaign for a four-day working week, which will be launched in Dublin later this month. The launch event will feature contributions from Irish and New Zealand-based employers who have successfully implemented four-day working arrangements for their staff.

The campaign will outline the economic, societal, environmental, personal and other benefits that could arise from the adoption of shorter working time, in all sectors of the economy, in the context of technological change and new forms of work organisation.

The Dublin launch will include contributions from Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, Friends of the Earth, and the National Women’s Council of Ireland. Aileen O’Carroll of Maynooth University will also present a report on the issue.

But the highlight of the day is likely to be Andrew Barnes, founder of New Zealand financial advice company Perpetual Guardian, which won international acclaim when it introduced a four-day week for its 250 staff last year. The Galway-based company ICE, which has also successfully introduced a four-day week, will also contribute.