Industry leaders have questioned the suggestion that the working week could be cut to four days within a decade of a Jeremy Corbyn government being elected.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell announced today he believed a 32 hour working week could be achieved with no cut to wages.
Announcing that 鈥渨e should work to live, not live to work鈥 he said Britons worked some of the longest hours in Europe 鈥 and something needed to change.
Carolyn Fairbairn , director general of the Confederation of British Industries, said Labour needed to root its polices in reality, not political ideology.
She said though the business body shared the aim of creating a fairer economy, she believed that 鈥渢oo many of Labour鈥檚 policies would make this harder to achieve, harming the very people they are trying to help鈥.
She said although workers might like the idea of a shorter week, without productivity gains it would push too many businesses into loss.
The shadow chancellor told the party conference in Brighton that Labour governments and trade unions were responsible for bringing the average working week down from 65 hours in the 1860s to 43 hours by the 1970s.
But he said progress had stalled.
He said: 鈥淧eople in our country work some of the longest hours in Europe.
鈥淪ince the 1980s the link between increasing productivity and expanding free time has been broken. It鈥檚 time to put that right.
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鈥淪o I can tell you today that the next Labour government will reduce the average full-time working week to 32 hours within the next decade.
鈥淚t will be a shorter working week with no loss of pay.鈥
The move, which was welcomed by trade unions, will involve setting up an independent Working Time Commission to recommend increases in minimum holiday entitlements.
Collective bargaining will enable trade unions and employers to negotiate how to meet the target in each sector of the economy.
TUC general secretary Frances O鈥橤rady welcomed the commitment and said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 time for working people to share in the benefits of new technology.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why unions have been arguing for less time at work, more time with family and friends and decent pay for everyone.鈥
Mr McDonnell also pledged a Labour government would stamp out poverty among people in work.
He said: 鈥淲e have always believed that getting a job should mean you are lifted out of poverty.鈥
Responding to his speech on behalf of the 190,000 businesses the CBI represents, Ms Fairbairn said: 鈥淭he inclusive ownership fund grabs headlines, but would amount to a tax on workers, pensions and savings.
鈥淎dd these ideas to mass renationalisation, rising business taxes and ongoing Brexit uncertainty, and we risk hanging a closed sign on the door of our open economy.
鈥淎 growing economy built on fairness can only be delivered if business and government work together.
鈥淵et here was a speech from the Shadow Chancellor with no mention of the huge contribution business makes, its importance to jobs, investment and prosperity.
鈥淥nly through partnership can a net-zero economy be achieved, wages increased, and new technologies harnessed to the benefit of all.
鈥淏usiness has ideas and ambition to match Labour鈥檚.
鈥淚t is time for Labour to root its polices in reality, not ideology.
鈥淔irms have consistently offered to help shape an economy where prosperity is shared more widely. That offer still stands.鈥
