New working time proposals come under attack

UK businesses have reacted angrily over plans to restrict their ability to opt out the European work time directive.

European Commissioners today accepted proposals to restrict companies employing staff for more than 48 hours per week in order to avoid exploitation.

As it stands, employers in the UK can ask their staff to work extra hours if the employee agrees to do so, however the commission believes trade union approval should be sought before such a decision is made.

Even if agreement were reached, this would only be valid for 12 months with an alternative cap of 65 hours per week.

The ability to opt-out is seen by employers as the heart of Britains flexible labour market and the government has vowed to fight the plans when they come up for approval.

The commission argues that the changes will give workers the power of choice as well as reinforce their ability to negotiate with their employers. It has also proposed a concession that will enable employers to extend the period of calculating working hours from four months to a year.

However, the proposals have already come under heavy criticism by a number of bodies that are afraid that a lack of flexibility in the workplace would seriously hamper economic growth and competition.

John Cridland, deputy director general of the Confederation of British Industry, said: “It is good that the Commission is allowing the opt-out to remain, but it is quite wrong to give trade unions a veto over what should be an individual decision.

“Having annual agreement together with collective agreement is wholly unacceptable. Unions would be able to use the opt out as a bargaining chip, allowing them to hold management over a barrel every 12 months.”

In contrast, the Trade Union Congress claims that working time rules have made little difference to the UK’s long hours culture and believes the proposals don’t go far enough. It estimates that almost four million employees are generally working more than 48 hours per week.

“UK workers are going to be left exposed to dangerous long hours working by these weak reforms to our weak working time protections,” said TUC general secretary Brendon Barber.

“Working long hours is bad for health and bad for business. We urge the Commission to abandon their current proposals to enable further consultation with unions and employers, as neither are content.