Small businesses are waiting to find out whether the government will cave-in to EU demands and agree to a maximum working week of 48 hours.
Britain’s ‘opt-out’ from the ‘48 hour week’ stipulated by the Working Time Directive, will come under further scrutiny this week from other European countries who want the UK’s exemption to be scrapped.
An extraordinary meeting of EU labour ministers, chaired by EU president Finland, will take place in Brussels tomorrow (Tuesday), having been called by Finland.
Finland is proposing to attach strict conditions onto the opt out provision, including a cap of 60 hours a week for employees choosing to work over 48 hours.
Countries committed to the 48 hour week are against any form of opt out from the Working Time Directive.
The European TUC are also pressurising the UK government to set a date for the end of the opt out.
Britain is the only member state to make use of the opt-out across the board, however Alistair Darling, trade and industry secretary is likely to resist the Finnish ‘compromise’.
The government is under pressure from many UK businesses who believe that the new conditions to the opt out would hinder flexibility and prevent individual employee choice.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2006
