|
10/11/2008
On 5 November, the European Parliament's employment committee voted to end the UK opt-out from the working time directive.
35 MEPs voted in favour and 13 against the report drawn up by Spanish Socialist MEP Alejandro Cercas, which calls for an end to the opt-out clause three years after the text enters into force.
The "no" votes came mainly from UK Conservatives, who pledged to defend the opt-outs that the UK government had successfully managed to insert into the text agreed upon by governments in June.
The opt-outs would allow workers to work up to 60-65 hours a week, provided that there is agreement among social partners. However, this would clearly exceed the 48-hour weekly cap that Parliament had asked for.
With this vote, the committee confirmed its first-reading position of 20 October, which sets the Parliament on collision course with the Council should the text be adopted in plenary on 17 December. The Employment ministers are set to debate the issue on 18 December.
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) celebrated the vote as a "first victory", calling on the plenary to confirm the vote. The general secretary of the Trade Union Congress, Brendan Barber, said workers would be "heartened" adding: "Our long hours culture, which has been shored up by the opt-out, has left many workers' health at risk."
UK MEP Stephen Hughes, employment spokesperson for the Socialist Group, defended the vote. He said: "We are dealing here with a piece of health and safety legislation. It is wrong in principle to have an opt-out from health and safety law, it's as simple as that."
Business groups criticised the move, arguing that, during tougher economic times, firms needed more flexibility and people wanted the choice to work longer hours to make ends meet.
Ernest-Antoine Seillière, the president of BusinessEurope, said the opt-out was "a vital tool for companies and many individuals value the opportunity it offers to earn more money by working additional hours". Source: BBC, Euractiv
|
