Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Working hours practices vary

by Personnel Today 1 Nov 2001
by Personnel Today 1 Nov 2001

EU member nations are trying to unify recruitment, working hours and
employment practices. But as Bo Kremer-Jones reports thereare still many
exceptions to the rule

Member nations of the EU have been working towards the creation of uniform
employment practices and rules ever since it was first established. Although
there are now many similarities between the way companies in this region
recruit, compensate and operate, there is still a long way to go before
employment regulations across the region are completely uniform.

One major distinction is the regulated number of hours worked by employees
per week. Across the EU, this can vary from 35 to 48 hours, although the
average for most countries is 40 hours.

Probably one of the most conspicuous and well publicised alterations to
European employment law in recent times is the decision taken in France
obliging firms with more than 20 employees to reduce their employees’ working
week to 35 hours, as of 1 January 2000. For companies with less than 20
employees, this rule will come into effect from 1 January 2002.

However, the UK has moved in the opposite direction, allowing for an extension
of the working week. Shona Newman of law firm, Baker & McKenzie explains,
"In the UK, many companies work on the basis of their employees working
more than 48 hours per week." She continues, "Employees themselves
are often willing to work the extra hours because of the considerable overtime
they can earn. However, she adds, "When it became effective on 1 October
1998, Regulation 4 (1) of the Working Time Regulations imposed a maximum limit
of 48 hours per week, averaged over a 17-week period. Under Regulation 5,
employees can opt out of the limitation provided they do so in writing."

The average working week in Ireland is lengthy too, according to lawyers at
Clifford Chance, "Under the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997, the
maximum average working week is 48 hours, subject to a phase-in period."
But they add, "Hours may be averaged over a period of two, four, six or
6-12 months, depending on the circumstances." And they add, "The Act
also requires employers to provide rest breaks to employees. They have an
entitlement to a 15-minute rest break where up to 4.5 hours have been worked
and 30 minutes where up to six hours have been worked."

There have also been discussions about the number of working hours in the
Netherlands, where last year time flexibility legislation was introduced,
giving employees the right to request an extension or a shortening of their
working hours. This may sound as if the employees are in control, but as Baker
& McKenzie point out, "The employer may reject an application for
adjustment of the working hours if the desired spread of the hours is not
‘reasonable and fair’ or if the adjustment is contrary to ‘weighty business or
employment interests’ – serious problems reassigning newly available hours,
safety issues or problems scheduling activities, for example."

And in Spain, debate over a 35-hour week, similar to that in France, has
been opened, although as yet no formal decision has been made. Aside from the average
working week, there have been other amendments to the country’s employment law.

Angela Toro of Baker & McKenzie in Spain notes, "The newest changes
are restrictions on the types of temporary employment contracts to encourage
companies to hire their employees with indefinite relationships.

"Consequently, in the case of dismissal, unless it is based on one of
the legal possibilities and can be clearly proven, the employee will be
entitled to a severance package of between 20 and 45 days’ salary per year of
employment."

Greek employers are less generous than their Spanish counterparts,
particularly where blue-collar workers are concerned. As Clifford Chance’s
report, Employment and Benefits in the European Union states, an employee
having worked up to one year with an organisation whose contract is terminated
has the right to severance pay of just five days’ wages. Up to two years of
employment and this figure increases to seven days, up to three years and the
terminated employee will receive 15 days’ wages and so up a scale that ends
with a maximum of 125 days’ wages for those having given 25 years of service
and above.

In other parts of Europe, outside the EU, working conditions are just as
varied. In particular, the average working week again differs greatly from
nation to nation. And often, what is laid down by law is only a guideline and
the reality can be very different.

In Albania for example, The Federation of European Employers (FedEE) notes,
"The legal maximum working week is 48 hours," although, it points
out, "In practice hours are typically set by individual or collective
agreement." And it adds, "Many people work six days a week."

In Belarus, the opposite can be true. The Constitution and Labour Code has
agreed a limit of 40 hours of work per week with a rest period of 24 hours. But
as Hans Jabs, a recruitment consultant working in Belarus notes, "Given
the country’s struggling economic situation, many workers find they are working
less than 40 hours per week. Often their employer will also require them to
take unpaid breaks while either waiting for raw materials or as the demand for
their output dwindles."

But as Jabs adds, "There is a minimum wage set in Belarus of 44-66
euros per month, again, this is seldom adhered to in reality. Difficult working
conditions and struggling firms make it extremely hard for workers to earn a
decent living. Too often workers are forced to wait for late payment of their
salaries, because employers simply cannot afford to pay them. It is not unusual
for major wage arrears to grow," he adds.

Like other areas of employment law, although the law "Establishes
minimum conditions for workplace safety and worker health," says FedEE,
"these standards are often ignored. Workers at many heavy machinery plants
do not wear even minimal safety gear, such as gloves, hard hats, or welding
glasses," it reports.

Further legal links

www.bakernet.com

www.euen.co.uk

www.dti.gov.uk

www.cliffordchance.com

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

www.hammondsuddardsedge.com

 

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Creative cost cutting could save jobs, report finds
next post
Pilot pay dispute hits north sea oil industry

You may also like

Why we need to rethink soft skills in...

1 Jul 2025

Five misconceptions about hiring refugees

20 Jun 2025

Forward features list 2025 – submitting content to...

23 Nov 2024

Features list 2021 – submitting content to Personnel...

1 Sep 2020

Large firms have no plans to bring all...

26 Aug 2020

A typical work-from-home lunch: crisps

24 Aug 2020

Occupational health on the coronavirus frontline – ‘I...

21 Aug 2020

Occupational Health & Wellbeing research round-up: August 2020

7 Aug 2020

Acas: Redundancy related enquiries surge 160%

5 Aug 2020

Coronavirus: lockdown ‘phase two’ may bring added headaches...

17 Jul 2020

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...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 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+