The TUC today welcomed the European Parliament’s decision today to call on the European Commission to end the UK’s individual opt-out from the 48-hour average limit on the working week.

This follows the European Commission’s decision to review the opt-out. Only the UK government extends the opt-out to everyone at work.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber, said:

'This is a very welcome decision from the European Parliament. It increases the pressure on Europe to end the UK opt-out, the only sure way to start to tackle our long hours culture, and leaves the UK looking isolated.

'The opt-out means that the Working Time Directive has had little, if any, impact on working hours in the UK. We still work the longest hours in Europe. One in three who have signed an ‘opt-out’ say they were given no choice, and nearly two out of three who work more than 48 hours a week have not even been asked to sign an opt-out.

'It’s about time we started running workplaces more efficiently so that very long hours are no longer needed.'

Working time fact file
The Working Time Directive limits working hours for most people to an average of 48 hours a week. It’s not an absolute limit, but an average calculated over a period from 13 weeks to a year.

Four million work more than 48 hours a week on average. That’s 700,000 more than in 1992 when there was no long hours protection. (Labour Force Survey - LFS).

Only one in three people at work know that there is a 48-hour average working week limit. (TUC poll August 2003).

The law is widely abused. One in three of those who have signed an opt-out say they were given no choice. (TUC poll August 2003).

Nearly two out of three people who say they work regularly more than 48 hours a week say they have not been asked to opt out of the working time regulations. (TUC Poll August 2003). Either the law is being ignored, or the loopholes and exceptions are so great that few enjoy protection.br>
A study for the DTI (http://www.dti.gov.uk/work-lifebalance/press300802.html) found:
1 in 6 (16%) of workers surveyed now work over 60 hours a week compared to just 1 in 8 (12%) of all UK workers in 2000;

The number of women working over 60 hours has more than doubled from 1 in 16 (6%) in 2000 to approximately 1 in 8 today (13%);

Twice as many employees would rather work shorter hours than win the lottery;

Three quarters (75%) of employees currently work overtime, and of these, only a third (36%) are rewarded with extra pay or time off in lieu;

7 out of 10 (72%) highly stressed workers do not have access to any formal flexible working practices.