Work Time Directive

The European Parliament’s employment committee has voted to scrap the UK’s opt-out of the 48-hour working week under the Working Time Directive.The directive prevents employees from choosing to work more than 48 hours a week, whatever their personal or professional circumstances.

In June, employment ministers from EU member states agreed a common position on a revised text for the Working Time Directive retaining the UK’s the opt-out and introduced a number of safeguards to ensure that employees cannot be forced to sign an opt-out.

Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser, at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), said: “The CIPD opposes long working hours but believes that a healthy work-life balance is best achieved through better work organisation and progressive people management rather than a statutory restriction on maximum working hours. “Good employers do not make their staff work longer hours, but business demands may occasionally arise, requiring employees to put in extra hours. Additionally, the removal of this flexibility neglects to recognise that employees may value the freedom of choosing whether to work more hours or not.”