New working hours for French workers
July 29, 2008
As we know, employees in the UK can work up to 48 hours per week under the Working Time Regulations, and may also opt out of this maximum number of hours by signing an agreement with their employer. This has been something that many employers and employees have been keen to protect under pressure from the EU, as many workers benefit from higher earnings from the opportunity to work a lot of overtime, and provides employers with more flexibility to manage times of increased workload.
In France this has traditionally been very different, with a strict maximum 35 hour working week. This has been popular with many people, but some small companies have been trying to change this policy for a while, obviously for the same reasons small employers in the UK benefit from the opportunity of a longer working week. Nicolas Sarkosy, the French President, has felt for a long time that the restricted working week has impacted negatively on the French economy, and pressed this view quite strongly when he was campaigning to become the President.
The new law means that employees and employers will be able to negotiate longer working hours up to 48 hours maximum, with the extra hours worked paid at an overtime rate that is higher than the standard rate. This is a huge step for France, and it will be interesting to see how many companies take advantage of the new legislation.
What’s your opinion of the maximum working week? Do you think the UK’s opt out gives us an advantage in the economy? I know people who would be crippled financially if they lost the opportunity to work the overtime hours they rely on, does this affect you or anyone you know?
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