THERE are lots of complaints by employers on the 40 hours within five days per week workdays. In the case of the Tanzanian micro-enterprise, it was hinted that the costs could have been absorbed by better work organisation and an improved production process. Working hours could also be reduced by an improved production process, if the organisation of production is readjusted, without additional cost.  

There are various assumptions inherent in the argument that nationallLabour standards (NLS) engender unacceptably high costs, which are either not valid, or are exaggerated. First of all, it may be questioned whether employers who abide by an international labour norm, such as the eight-hour day, a minimum weekly rest period, or a work safety standard.
To understand the origins and objectives of labour standards it is necessary to recognise the peculiar nature of labour and the labour market.
In the Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) stated that labour is not a commodity.
There are reports about Finnish employers who found it profitable to go from a five-day working week to a four-day week without reducing pay, simply because worker productivity increased more than proportionately.