"There are studies that indicate the health benefits of sex," Per-Erik Muskos, told AFP news agency after presenting his motion, which many people outside of Övertorneå would gladly support as well. "I believe sex is a scarce commodity in many long-lasting relationships. Everyday life is stressful and there are children at home. This could be an opportunity to enjoy some privacy," Muskos told local Swedish newspaper Norrbottens Kuriren.
Muskos lamented the fact that couples were not spending enough time with each other in today's society and expressed hope that his proposal would increase the quality of relationships. At the same time, Muskos admitted that there was no possible way for the employer to verify that the personnel were using their "sex break" properly.
"Of course, you can't guarantee that a worker doesn't go simply opt for a stroll instead," Muskos said, stressing the importance of trust between employers and their employees.
A study by economic research institute Coe-Rexecode found that Sweden's full-time employees worked the least in Europe, after the Finns and the French. In 2015, an average Swede worked only 1,685 hours, as opposed to the 1,900 hours worked, on average, by his British counterpart.
Övertorneå is the main township in the eponymous Municipality on the Swedish-Finnish border, and has roughly 2,000 inhabitants.
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