Las políticas de tiempo de trabajo. El caso de Europa

This article analyzes the current situation and evolution of working time policies in Europe. There are two objectives which conform these policies; redistribution of employment and flexibility, that is to say, the optimization in the use of production mechanisms by means of a greater use of equipment or of timetable modulation in accordance with corporate activities. The conception of work sharing must be amplified to encompass not only the question of labour but also everything that takes place outside this field. It is also necessary to articulate a position between defensive work sharing or maintaining employment, and offensive conceptions, that imply working time reorganization and growing support for workers´ individual aspirations.