Business groups were up in arms over today’s decision by the European Parliament to prevent UK workers from choosing to work more than 48 hours a week.
Until now the UK had negotiated the right for individual workers to opt-out of the European Time Directive, which dictates that workers must not work for longer than 48 hours a week, if they chose to.
Government figures show that more than three million UK employees (around 10% of the workforce) currently take advantage of this clause. The cost of the scrapping the opt-out has been estimated at more than £66bn.
Today’s vote means that, by 2011, UK workers will no longer be afforded this flexibility. Despite the government’s calls to preserve the opt-out, it has been reported that up to three-quarters of Labour’s 19 MEPs voted to scrap it.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said the decision was a mistake.
John Cridland, deputy director general of the CBI, commented: “This vote is misguided. Nobody should be made to work more than 48 hours per week. But many people want to work longer hours. We think that people can make this decision for themselves, and don’t need MEPs to make it for them.”
Cridland added that the flexibility offered by the opt-out is particularly vital during a recession.
“In the current downturn, a family might depend on one parent being able to work extra hours if the other loses their job,” he said.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) agreed that it should be up to employers and their staff to work out an agreement, rather than enforcing a statutory maximum working hours.
Mike Emmott, CIPD employee relations adviser, said: “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.”
Business groups have urged the government to stand firm in the months of negotiations that are expected to follow today’s decision.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2008