Britain refuses EU's 48 hour work week limit

Amid discussion and concerns over how the European Union's labor rules would affect British employees, the UK has mainted the right to opt out of the EU's mandatory 48 hour work week limit. People in the UK work the longest hours in Europe and, though there is a 48 hour per week cap, they are allowed to "opt out" of this protection, which a large number do out of pressure or hope for career gains. Employers are not forced to adhere to the Working Time Regulations, which have made little difference in the number of hours UK employees routinely put in.

Despite this disappointment for UK workers, John Hutton, the Business Secretary for the EU, stated "I believe the agreements we have reached provide the right way forward for Europe. They deal fairly with the long-standing concern of many member states, including the UK, and they represent the best obtainable balance between the need for fair treatment for employees and flexibilities for employees.”

The Trades Union Congress says that the new EU ruling is better for temporary workers and an improvement for all permanent UK employees. Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary says 'While we are disappointed that the UK opt-out on the 48 hour working week remains, there has been real progress on other working time issues."

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