Euro commissioner hints at hardline stance on working time opt-out

Employers
may be about to lose the right to opt out of the working time directive unless
staff are allowed to impose a limit on the number of hours they work.

Anna
Diamantopoulou, the European commissioner responsible for employment policy,
has hinted that she is about to clamp down on the UK’s ‘abusive’ use of the
opt-out.

However,
any changes to the working time directive would require the backing of a
majority of EU member states.

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Currently,
employers are allowed to offer staff the chance to opt out of the European
maximum working week of 48 hours.

By Ross Wigham