The European Union Working Time Directive

The European Union Working Time Directive was introduced in 1993 by the EU member states, with the aim of improving employment conditions. It was a legislative breakthrough, which changed employment law and set a maximum 48-hour working week.

The 1993 Working Time Directive included Article 18, which allowed member states to opt out of the directive, and not apply the 48-hour working week if a number of conditions were met. These included:

• workers must sign individual opt out agreements, and must not suffer any penalty if they refuse to do so;
• employers must keep records of staff who work more than 48 hours a week, and make them available to the appropriate authorities.

The opt out from the Working Time Directive was not specific to the UK, but the UK was the only country within Europe to make widespread use of its provisions.

Ever since it's inception in 1993, the Working Time Directive has caused disruption within European and British industry, and often finds itself in the news following trade disputes or breaches of the legislation.

Working Time Directive News

Inconsistent Working Time Laws
New EU legislation aimed at harmonising working time and ensuring minimum rest periods for truck drivers has met with fierce criticism from both trade unions and employers in the road transport sector who say they can lead to 'different interpretations' and 'unintentional infringements'.

Presidency In Bid To Revise Working Time Directive
The Portuguese presidency is working behind the scenes to secure an agreement on EU working time rules, as the change of administration in France has improved prospects for a deal.

Lunch Breaks For Wimps
High-flying 80s yuppies believed that lunch breaks were for wimps - but two decades on, almost one in five employees are still subscribing to the same idea.

Short Work of Long Hours
People who spend too much time at their desk are not doing themselves or their employers any favours, but is Britain as a whole, guilty of indulging in excessive working patterns?

Life Under The EU Charter
The introduction of the new EU Charter has threatened the UK's opt out from the European Working Time Directive, however British politicians remain focused on ensuring that the opt out is preserved.

For archived Working Time Directive News, follow this link.

Currently as many as a third of British employees have invoked the Working Time Directive opt out, equating to around 2 million workers. It is an issue of high importance to the UK labour market, which is why there is such a keen interest in legislation developments.