Businesses defend right to opt-out of Working Time Directive

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is championing the present right of UK employers to opt out of the measure, allowing staff to work more than 48 hours per week.  

If the exemption were removed, staff would no longer be permitted to take advantage of such flexible working rights, a decision that the FPB believes would have a detrimental effect on UK competitiveness.

The lobby believes the European Commission is determined to bring the UK in line with its EU counterparts when it meets in Brussels today to discuss the matter.

It argues that this would create significant costs for small firms already overloaded with regulation.

Nick Goulding, chief executive of the FPB, said: “Working time is one of the few variables of adjustments that allow small businesses to improve productivity and adapt rapidly to new threats and opportunities.

“By placing this variable in a more rigid framework, the Commission missed an opportunity to show private business in the UK and across Europe that it supports their need for increased flexibility and improvement of competitiveness.”

The FPB argues that UK businesses have benefited from the opt out since the introduction of the WTD, with employers citing increased staff turnover and higher wage bills as possible consequences if they are forced to comply with the clause.

Under a compromise package, being discussed by the commission, employees would be able to ‘opt-out’ through collective agreements, and where collective agreements do not exist; an individual opt-out would remain subject to the employee’s consent.

However, Goulding is calling on MEP’s of all parties to support the maintenance of a full opt out.

He said, “Earlier this year Labour MEP's voted against the UK Government’s stance to fight the opt-out on the European Parliament’s plenary session.

“That was a betrayal of UK interests which they are elected to represent. It must not happen again.”