To think 'Full time' should mean less hours?

@RaggedRocks is talking rubbish.

It's a right wing talking point that the public sector is full of staff who hardly do anything.
When the truth is staff are run of their feet and struggling with antiquated computer systems and cheap software that makes their job harder.

No, we outsourced that to a private sector company.

Ordering biscuits?
You mean you had a supplier who delivered biscuits with other goods rather than having in every office someone who popped out to the shop to buy some biscuits when they were needed for a meeting?

I remember offices before suppliers were really a thing for this kind of purchase. I like getting money fron the petty cash tin and popping out for half an hour or more to buy a couple of packs of biscuits. It was a bit if a skive. That skive no longer exists.

No, I am being silly, the rubbish collection was outsourced

Good in theory but reality is ur just expected to squeeze 37 hours of work into 30 hours.

I work in the private sector. Jobs have been lost and have had a pay freeze for the past 3 years. We then got 2% increase. Yes, I do less. I do my hours, make sure I take my breaks and when I’m asked to do something that someone more senior does, I deny I know how to do it. I can do it, but I won’t.
My DDs are older, one at college, one in year 11, so I’m looking at moving on anyway.

You aren’t happy with the status quo in your current job. So either start looking for another one or I’m afraid you’ll have to suck it up!

Hardly a surprise given the entire crux of the OP

I know there are studies that working efficiently for 4 days doesnt lessen productivity compared to 5....obviously it somewhat depends on the industry and cant be a universal trend. DH and I have our own business and trialled a 4 day week. The longer weekends were nice but in the end the stress and build up of work on the other 4 days outweighed the benefit.

Id be cautious of bringing Ai to do some tasks, because I can imagine instead of giving everyone a shorter week, a business could say AI has reduced the amount of staff needed, and there would be fewer people....doing the same hours as before

The if you don’t like it just move on posts are missing the point.
There’s whole sections of local government where they struggle to recruit and retain staff.
If you follow your council website you’ll see same roles advertised regularly either because low pay, rubbish hours or workload or combo of all 3.
The pension is nothing compared to civil service. As civil service are in regions often they are competing for same people.
We regularly lose staff to civil service, starting salary is £16,000 more for very similar role and much better pension.
Gaps are filled by inexperienced or newly qualified staff who understandably can’t shift the work in the same way or by expensive locums or sending to external firms.
It’s not as simple as don’t do the work lots is a statutory requirement or essential to protect people eg childcare legal work is often sent to external barristers or firms at £££ as they can’t attract or retain experienced qualified solicitors to work full time in a difficult role (massive caseloads, distressing images) paying under £40,000.
Like the example above of a firm giving extra holiday as they couldn’t afford a pay rise, cutting hours is one way to increase hourly pay. Where I work is 37, nearby councils are 35. Moving to 35 would probably mean they meet minimum wage or living wage next time it increases rather than having to find money to give lots of staff a pay rise as they had to earlier this year.

What’s your actual point?

Any thoughts on what happens to part time workers? Do we just suck up the shitty wages?

That OP’s suggestion of less hours could be a viable solution.

Presumably at organisations that do this pt would be fewer hours too. So 4/5 would be 24 hours not 29.

If they did that were I am I'd be working about 20 hours a week by now

*fewer hours (or less time)

Full time in my job is 40 hours. I would give my right arm to have 3 extra hours per week so I could actually take a lunch break or go pick up my kids from school one day per week. I find it extremely difficult fitting 40 hours of work in around two young children, especially when childcare is only 9 until 5:30 and it’s at least 15 minutes away so basically I need to be working every minute that my kids are in school / childcare. A 37 hour working week would make such a difference to my quality of life but the pay cut would be unsustainable atm

Full time in my workplace is 40 hours across 4 days. It’s great to have that day off during the week. It does however balance with the fact that we work in childcare so are only paid minimum wage or just above. 7.30am-6pm (but actually 7.20-6.10 roughly) with only 30 minutes break is very full on.

Hopefully you're not in a role that demands a good level of literacy. No, it should not mean "less hours". Less time, perhaps, but that would be FEWER hours. Back to primary school for you!

I’m a county council employee and have qualifications coming out of my ears yet the minimum wage has gone up and the unskilled pay is nearly the same as a skilled workers pay. The pay is shite for what’s expected and every year we have an appraisal which adds to your job load and you don’t get to move up a pay scale of sorts. The pension scheme used to be ok once upon a time and now shite. We are so short staffed that I often do things above and beyond my pay grade, now it’s an expectation and now part of my job, yet they badger why I haven’t had time to do everything. I quietly quit years ago. I say no to extras I don’t get credit or pay for, refuse to stay after my contracted hours and I don’t get in 15 minutes earlier, I start on my actual start time and leave dead on 4pm. I was late to the party on this as most are already doing it in my department.

If I work full-time at minimum wage I don't have to sign on to receive Universal Credit. If they drop the hours that define full-time I will then have to sign on, as I'll be below their earning threshold.

Ah yes - AI social workers, AI street cleaners, AI police, AI road maintenance workers, AI dustbin men, AI answering the phone when you have an enquiry that isn't on the standard list, AI teachers, AI health visitors, AI public health and environment inspectors, AI building maintenance, AI SEN teachers, AI carers...

Council tax rises are largely due to more and more functions being devolved to local authorities without all the costs being devolved, and to the general costs in things the local authorities need to spend money on. An example of this is housing; there is no money to build council housing so they are dependant on rental of private housing, this has gone up significantly in the last few years.

It’s an incredibly common grammatical error. I’m not sure why really, it’s a very simple distinction but almost no one gets it right. I’m busy teaching my 5yo the difference because it drives me slightly insane.