Crisis talks on the troubled current financial climate in parliament on Tuesday evening saw political parties divided on the need to introduce shorter working hours as an emergency measure to avoid mass redundancies.

Left-wing parties, including the Labour coalition partner, and the anti-immigration PVV are sympathetic to union calls for the introduction of short-time working, says the Telegraaf.
But coalition parties Christian Democrats (CDA) and ChristenUnie, together with the right-wing liberals VVD and the D66 democrats, are against the move.
Labour MP Jacques Tichelaar echoed party leader Wouter Bos, saying there is no need to panic, says the paper. The Netherlands is still doing well in comparison with other countries, Tichelaar says.
But Labour does think allowing healthy companies, which cannot get bridging loans, to cut workers hours should be considered. Workers would be compensated for the lost hours via the unemployment benefit fund.
No hasty decision
Short-time working allows companies hit by disaster to cut working hours for up to six weeks, but does not cover long-term economic developments.
Workers whose hours are cut then have 70% of their salary paid from the unemployment benefit fund. To date, 35 companies have asked social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner to extend short-time working to cover the current economic situation.
Both Donner and Bos want to avoid a situation where failing companies and bad management are propped up with tax-payers money, says the Telegraaf.
Donner also warned parliament not to make a hasty decision. He pointed out that ministers are still in talks with employers and trade unions and said the government will make its decision by the beginning of next week.