A number of news outlets, including RTL Today, reported on the story, which claims that Sanna Marin has called for the introduction of a more flexible working schedule, namely four-day working weeks and six-hour working days.
On Tuesday, News Now Finland reported that the story is actually false and that Marin does not intend to introduce the flexible working schedule in her government’s programme. According to News Now Finland‘s analysis, the concept originates from a Social Democrat event in Turku in August 2019. At the event, marking the organisation’s 120th anniversary, senior politicians participated in a panel discussion, during which Marin proposed that Finland’s productivity could benefit from either a four-day working week or six-hour working days.
At the time, the then-Minister of Transport tweeted about the idea, but the proposal was never clear government policy. RTL Today contacted the Prime Minister’s office and a spokesperson confirmed that the story is false and not on the government agenda. The spokesperson added that the Prime Minister had mentioned the idea at the panel discussion and belonged to speculation on possible future development, rather than concrete policy.
