Blair confident of winning opt-out vote

Tony Blair is said to be confident he has enough support from other European countries to save the UK’s opt-out from the EU Working Time Directive.

The opt-out to the directive allows workers to work longer than the maximum 48-hour working week and is due to be debated at a meeting of European employment ministers tomorrow (2 June 2005).

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Blair is said to have won support from countries including Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Cyprus and Malta.

The European Parliament has already voted to scrap the opt-out, led by France which already has a 35-hour working week.