MEPs Vote To End Working Time Opt-Out

brothermagrew · Post by **brothermagrew** » 19 Dec 2008, 20:40

MEPs vote to end working time opt-out:
The European Parliament voted decisively to end the UK's opt-out from Europe's 48 hour average working week. MEPs voted by 421 to 273 to remove the opt-out from a revised working time directive approved by EU employment ministers in June. The European Parliament will now open negotiations with the Council of Ministers to seek agreement with them on the issue. The TUC welcomed the vote. TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'This is an early Christmas present for Britain's hardest workers, and for the families who see too little of them. Members of the European Parliament have courageously defied the abusers and the slave-drivers over the loss of the 'right' to work people till they drop. Britain's workers will still be working hard to get the British economy back on its feet, but they will now be protected from the stress, heart disease and accidents that result from persistent long hours. And their families will get their mums and dads back. Now we need to tackle the low pay and poor productivity that were kept alive by long hours working. No one should have to work more than 48 hours a week all year round to put food on the table or a roof over their heads.'

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 19 Dec 2008, 20:48

The government have hinted that they will just ignore this

brothermagrew · Post by **brothermagrew** » 19 Dec 2008, 20:58

With the economy in difficulties, redundancies are in the news
every day. But even when times are better redundancies
happen when firms reorganise or get taken over.
This leaflet explains your rights if you are threatened with
redundancy and offers some tips for the newly unemployed.

A TUC publication: http://www.tuc.org.uk/extras/facingredundancy.pdf

Post by **dvbuk55** » 19 Dec 2008, 21:43

disgruntledpostie1 wrote:The government have hinted that they will just ignore this

Aye it's funny that, when the EU wanted to open the postal market old HMG jumped in years ahead saying it was an EU Directive but when they are actually told about curtailing working hours to 48 they are going to ignore it.

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 19 Dec 2008, 21:47

dvbuk55 wrote:
disgruntledpostie1 wrote:The government have hinted that they will just ignore this
Aye it's funny that, when the EU wanted to open the postal market old HMG jumped in years ahead saying it was an EU Directive but when they are actually told about curtailing working hours to 48 they are going to ignore it.

I know, as was once said in The New Statesman, the EU is not a gravy train, it's a gravy boat, it doesn't move and you can take as much as you like as often as you like.

Post by **dvbuk55** » 19 Dec 2008, 22:18

disgruntledpostie1 wrote:
dvbuk55 wrote:
disgruntledpostie1 wrote:The government have hinted that they will just ignore this
Aye it's funny that, when the EU wanted to open the postal market old HMG jumped in years ahead saying it was an EU Directive but when they are actually told about curtailing working hours to 48 they are going to ignore it.
I know, as was once said in The New Statesman, the EU is not a gravy train, it's a gravy boat, it doesn't move and you can take as much as you like as often as you like.

Very apt!

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