On the Petition to Introduce a Four-Day Working Week (32 Hours) in Ukraine Without Reducing Salaries

On 21 May 2026, the News section published an article entitled “Perhaps One Day This Will Be the Case in Ukraine”, which discussed Iceland’s effective transition to a four-day working week at the national level, the country’s economic performance following the implementation of this measure, and the examination of Iceland’s experience by other countries.

In July 2026, a petition entitled “On the Development and Implementation of a State Programme for the Transition to a Four-Day Working Week (32 Hours) Without Reducing Salaries” was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The petition proposes:

• – initiating mandatory amendments to the Labour Code of Ukraine, applicable to employers of all forms of ownership, to establish a clear working time limit of no more than four working days (32 hours) per week, while ensuring the full preservation of employees’ salaries and their right to adequate rest;
• – introducing a mandatory state pilot project with a clearly defined list of sectors, public institutions and private enterprises for which the transition to a four-day working week would be compulsory during the first stage of the reform, followed by the mandatory nationwide implementation of this model.

The rationale for the proposed reform includes:

• – the critical psychological exhaustion of Ukrainians caused by the war;
• – increased productivity rather than a decline;
• – a significant reduction in sick leave and employee burnout;
• – economic benefits for employers;
• – preservation of Ukraine’s human capital;
• – stimulation of the domestic market;
• – European integration.

Some additional information about the petition:

No. 41/010242-26еп.

Signature collection began on 3 July 2026.

82 days remain until the end of the signature collection period.

As of the publication of this information, i.e. the morning of 13 July 2026, the petition had already been signed by 10,572 citizens (42.3%) out of the required 25,000 signatures.

More detailed information is available on the Government Portal website (https://www.kmu.gov.ua/) under “For the Public” → “Petitions” → “Month”.

Interesting facts about electronic petitions.

For information on electronic petitions and the procedure for their submission and consideration, see Article 23¹ of the Law of Ukraine “On Citizens’ Appeals”, as well as the Law of Ukraine No. 577-VIII of 2 July 2015, “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On Citizens’ Appeals’ Regarding Electronic Appeals and Electronic Petitions.”

The first petition addressed to the President of Ukraine to reach the required number of signatures was submitted by the All-Ukrainian Public Organization “Ukrainian Association of Firearm Owners”. The petition called for the legislative recognition of the right of Ukrainian citizens to self-defence. During the verification of the signatures, so-called “bots” attempting to artificially inflate the number of signatures were identified.

The fastest electronic petition was the petition calling for the resignation of the sixth President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It collected the required number of signatures in less than one day.

Photo source: https://www.magnific.com/