Working hours EU law reform to save £1bn

Kemi Badenoch examines over 4,000 EU pieces of legislation that are still on the UK statute despite Brexit. Credit: Shutterstock

The retained EU bill is before Parliament and is expected to be amended to give ministers the power to strike down further EU-era legislation after the end of this year if deemed necessary.

One of the major pieces of EU legislation that is still part of UK law is the Working Hours Directive.

It regulates the hours in which employees can be involved in work. On average, this should not exceed 48 hours, including overtime.

This rule came into effect in the UK in 1998.

Some employers feel that this rule is detrimental to productivity in the UK, as it prevents firms from paying people to work overtime when they have a lot of orders.

It has also been accused of making it harder for the National Health Service to reduce waiting times.

Some exceptions to the 48-hour working week

But employees can opt out of the 48-hour workweek if they often work overtime, such as in emergency services.

Exceptions are when people work in jobs that require 24/7 service, or if they work in police, armed forces, security forces, or surveillance.

Others include people working as domestic workers in a private household, or sailors, sea fishermen, or workers on ships on inland waterways.

< p>People are also not covered if work time is not measured and they are under control, such as managing supervisors with control over their decisions.

Some employees may opt out of the maximum 48-hour workweek, including airline employees, workers on ships or boats, delivery drivers, bus conductors. and security guards.

Their employers can ask employees to opt out, but they cannot be fired or unfairly treated for refusing to do so.

The unions have warned that opting out of the Worker Directive on working hours in general can lead to more accidents at work and a deterioration in the well-being of employees.

The rules also legislate the right to paid leave equal to 28 days a year, including holidays and rest breaks. , but employers are required to provide at least a 20-minute uninterrupted break during a six-hour workday or more.