Part-time employment is becoming increasingly commonplace, necessitating new attitudes and better treatment from employers, unions, and in legislation. Three new types of part-time work are emerging: job sharing, phased retirement (gradual reduction of working hours), and paid leave. (SK)

In this article, the intention is to examine the development of the trade union approach to working time, assess its successes and failures, and seek an understanding of the movement toward reduced working time. From that assessment, it is argued that prevailing strategies are unlikely to bear dividends in terms of their own objectives--the…