Shraga Brosh, the president of the Manufacturers' Association of Israel, spoke out Wednesday against adoption of a bill (which has passed its preliminary reading in the Knesset) that would shorten the work week by making Sunday a day of rest.

"Transforming Sunday into a weekend day and making Friday a partial work day, means a transition to a four-and-a-half workday economy, compared to the current five days," Brosh said.

He added that the proposed change would result in a heavier burden of traffic than conditions currently prevailing in terms of sea, air and land transport routes. That would happen, he explained, because of the necessity of maintaining the pace of both local and overseas shipment of goods.

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Uriel Lynn, president of the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, also announced his opposition to the bill yesterday, saying that shortening the workweek would reduce participation in the workforce. Lynn noted that the figures for participation in the workforce in Israel are already lower than those seen in Western nations.