Russian businesses want to party like it's 1959 with 6-day workweek

Russia's business tycoons have approached the country's ministry of labor suggesting it increases the working week to six days, says Kremlin-approved broadsheet Izvestia.

The Avanti Association of Entrepreneurs for the (heaven help us) "Development of Business Patriotism" has reportedly urged labor minister Anton Kotyakov to extend working times to help the "economy" as the sanctions linked to its February 2022 invasion of the Ukraine continue to hit businesses, though there was no talk of paying workers any more than they receive today.

You can read the original Russian-language article here, although be aware that the source is a government-controlled outlet.

According to the report, increased productivity from the workforce will help "increase the strength" of the Russian economy as well as "achieve goals" set by despotic leader Vladimir Putin for 2023. What goals? Oh, little steps like achieving "technological and industrial" breakthroughs, and "strengthening" economic sovereignty.

As we've noted, since Russian parliament lowered the national internet iron curtain via Rusnet, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has only become more restrictive. With Putin's invasion of Ukraine, though, sanctions placed on the country have resulted in increased monitoring of local Russians.

The Russian search market continues to be dominated by Yandex, aka "Russia's Google," which has been accused by its former head of news as being key to the government "concealing information about the war."

Actual Google has been fined hundreds of millions by the state for giving users a peek at reality as well as having its local bank account snatched by the Kremlin.

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After the labor ministry was ordered to look into a four-day workweek in 2019, a survey run by Russia's most popular job site said that Russians were not in favor. This may have been because respondents, who were told there wouldn't be an accompanying reduction in wages, seemingly did not believe this. But 63 percent, apparently, felt they could easily compress their five-day workweek into four.

Earlier this year, results a global trial of a four-day workweek found that company revenue stayed broadly the same over the trial period, rising by 1.4 percent on average, weighted by company size, across respondent organizations. When compared to a similar period from previous years (the trial took place in the second half of the year), organizations reported revenue increases of 35 percent on average.

In a Register poll last year, more than eight in 10 readers supported a four-day work week.

Politico called the six-day workweek move a sign that "Moscow's economy is under strain," saying the business "titans" need staff to put in the extra work hours as targeted sanctions continue to make a dent in Russia's bottom line.

According to the European Council, 70 percent of the Russian banking system is under sanction, and measures targeting oil imports that came in during December 2022 have put the squeeze on its fossil fuel sales. ®