The European parliament has voted decisively to end Britain’s right to opt out of limits imposed under the Working Time Directive.

The European regulations are in place to restrict the working week to a maximum of 48 hours.

The UK government had lobbied for retention of the opt out in its drive for flexible labour markets. However, many Labour MEPs voted against the government’s stance. The stage is now set for an incendiary meeting of EU employment ministers in June where they must decide whether or not to ratify the MEPs’ decision.

The MEPs also backed measures to make time spent on standby count towards working hours – a decision with implications for m&e contractors offering an on-call service.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor