Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Latest NewsEmployment lawWorking Time Regulations

UK MEP is lone voice in call to keep working time opt-out

by Louisa Peacock 12 Dec 2008
by Louisa Peacock 12 Dec 2008

A UK MEP was vastly outnumbered by her European colleagues this week when she called to keep the opt-out to the Working Time Directive (WTD).

Liberal Democrat MEP Liz Lynne was the only voice among four other MEPs during a European Parliament seminar urging to keep the UK’s exemption to the WTD, which allows workers in the UK to work more than 48 hours per week.

Speaking at the seminar in Brussels, Lynne said losing the opt-out would force employees to work in a “grey economy”, where they would not be covered by employment law and could not take their employer to tribunal. She later told Personnel Today that keeping the opt-out would not result in employees being forced to work longer hours for fear of losing their jobs.

“It is hearsay to think that companies will lay-off people because they don’t sign the opt-out â€“ that just isn’t the case. You cannot sign the opt-out at the same time as you sign the contract, and employees have four weeks to consider signing it,” she said.

But all other MEPs in the room agreed the exemption clause was “history”.

Alejandro Cercas, the current rapporteur of the European Parliament and MEP of the Party of European Socialists, told Personnel Today: “I don’t think all employers are bad, the UK does a lot for its employees. But there are always a group of people [employers] that are shameless. We use legislation to stop abuse â€“ and stop those who are exploiting workers.”

However, the European Council agreed in June this year that the UK would keep its opt-out to the WTD because it agreed to the deal on agency workers, which allows temps the same rights to permanent staff after just 12 weeks in a job.

But since then, the social affairs and employment committee at the European Parliament has voted to amend this agreement, and scrap the opt-out.

“Many members made a compromise on the agency workers’ directive to get what they wanted on the WTD,” Lynne said.

She added the opt-out was totally voluntarily, and employees could “opt out from the opt-out at any time”.

European officials refused to predict how the vote would swing on 17 December, or when the WTD could be implemented. But employers would have at least three years from the date of the directive’s official publication, so the earliest this might affect employers is 2011.

Avatar
Louisa Peacock

previous post
The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008
next post
Rail industry’s 10,000th NVQ marked by Parliament

You may also like

Opposing critical race theory ruled a philosophical belief

29 Sep 2023

Meet Andrew, the chief executive – according to...

29 Sep 2023

How healthy are UK organisations’ talent strategies?

29 Sep 2023

Number of open roles in UK reaches three...

29 Sep 2023

BNP Paribas monitors staff office attendance

29 Sep 2023

NHS England implements fit and proper persons’ tests...

29 Sep 2023

Government creates new civil service tech apprenticeships

29 Sep 2023

Women at FTSE 100 firms won’t gain equality...

28 Sep 2023

Education doubts see UK sink in world talent...

28 Sep 2023

Prison Service launches TV recruitment campaign

28 Sep 2023

  • Discover the value of CIPD accreditation PROMOTED | See how the CIPD can increase your earning potential...Read more
  • What does it mean to be an HR professional in 2024? (survey) PROMOTED | The world of HR is changing rapidly...Read more
  • The Contractor Management Mastery Pack: Everything you need to manage and pay global contractors PROMOTED | Answers to cross-border...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+