Britain retains the right to opt out from 48-hour maximum working week
22 May 2009
The European Parliament voted last year to end the opt-out within three years of the new EU Working Time Directive being adopted.
The vote put the parliament in conflict with the Council of Ministers which negotiated a deal with the UK government last summer allowing the opt-out to continue in return for Britain accepting improved rights for temporary workers.
It meant that the Council and the parliament had to negotiate a compromise. However, they have failed to reach an agreement and so the opt-out will remain in place.
Employment Relations Minister Pat McFadden said: "Everyone has the right to basic protections surrounding the hours that they work, but it is also important that they have the right to choose those hours.
"In the UK and many other Member States, choice over working hours has operated successfully for many years. The current economic climate makes it more important than ever that people continue to have the right to put more money in their pockets by working longer hours if they choose to do so."
