Agreement reached on opt out of working time directive
June 10, 2008
After lots of debate and negotiation, the UK Government has finally agreed a deal with the EU that allows UK workers to retain the right to opt out of the working time directive, which limits the number of working hours per week to 48. This agreement was reached after the UK compromised on the agency workers rights legislation last month, which will give temporary agency workers the same employment rights as their permanent colleagues after 12 weeks’ service. Many workers will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief after today’s news, as they are able to retain their overtime hours in excess of 48 hours per week which many people rely on for their income.
After many businesses feeling angry at the UK giving in on agency worker rights last month, this news might be a welcome silver lining as the right to opt out provides them with more flexibility at different times of the year. The rights for agency workers could have been agreed at a much earlier stage than 12 weeks’ service, so it could have been worse.
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