WA60

Business leaders attack working time proposals

The Confederation of British Industry has vowed to fight 'tooth and nail' against the European Union's plans to restrict the UK's ability to 'opt out' of the Working Time Directive.

John Cridland, Deputy Director-General of the CBI, said, 'This is an attempt to broker a compromise that has completely backfired. The proposals show a clear misunderstanding of the UK's industrial relations culture, which serves this country well'.

Under the proposals, firms would be required to monitor the number of hours worked by employees, and trade unions would have a veto over accepting working weeks which exceeded the 48 hour limit stipulated by the Directive.

Employees would be unable to sign an opt-out agreement when signing a new contract or while on a probationary period, and their decision to opt out would be subject to an annual review.

An upper limit of 65 hours would also be placed on all working weeks.

The Forum of Private Business warned that the proposals were 'fatally flawed' and will impose severe constraints and significant new costs on small firms.

Nick Goulding, FPB Chief Executive, said, 'Many small businesses on tight profit margins, employing only a few staff, rely on the flexibility of the employment market to make ends meet. This proposal will create massive problems for many small companies'.

John Walker, policy chairman at the Federation of Small Businesses, said, ‘The new proposal will force employers to play a nanny role by monitoring the hours worked by their staff. Most small employers do not have a Personnel Manager or HR Department and will struggle with the extensive record keeping requirements'.

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