date: March 30 2004 embargo: 00:01 hours Wednesday March 31 2004

Attention: industrial, political correspondents

Time to end long hours working

The TUC has called on the European Commission to end the individual opt-out from the Working Time Directive. The EU’s consultation period ends today (Wednesday).

The opt-out should go says the TUC because:

• ending the opt-out is the only sure way to begin to bear down on the UK’s long hours culture,

• long hours working is bad for the health of long hours workers,

• individual opt-outs will inevitably be abused by employers, and

• the UK’s long hours are a symptom of poor productivity and bad management.

• The TUC says that the Working Time Directive, with the opt-out removed, still allows people to work an average of six eight-hour days a week, and already contains sufficient flexibility for any properly managed organisation to manage its working hours effectively.

• Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary, said, 'The strongest reason for ending the opt-out is the weakness of the arguments against it from employer lobbyists.

• 'The Chambers of Commerce tell us that long hours working has no effect on health, yet the risk of heart disease, chronic headache, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, stress and accidents at work are greater for long hours workers.

• 'Business organisations tell us that everyone works long hours because they enjoy their jobs so much. Yet one in three in a TUC poll - a figure confirmed by today’s CIPD poll - report coercion in signing away their working time rights.

• 'The CIPD’s survey is a spectacular own goal. Their figures back TUC research showing high levels of coercion into long hours, and indeed the CIPD shows that coercion has tripled in the last five years. Half say that long hours affect their relationship with their partner. One in six say their mental health has been affected, and one in ten their physical health. One in three say that long hours make them too tired to work properly, and almost half say they could get just as much done in a shorter time.

• 'The only way to begin to cut through Britain’s long hours culture is to end the opt-out.'

Working time fact file

The Working Time Directive limits working hours for most people to an average of 48 hours a week. It’s not an absolute limit, but an average calculated over a period from 13 weeks to a year.

Four million work more than 48 hours a week on average. That’s 700,000 more than in 1992 when there was no long hours protection. (Labour Force Survey - LFS).

Only one in three people at work know that there is a 48-hour average working week limit. (TUC poll August 2003). (http://www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-7084-f0.cfm)

The law is widely abused. One in three of those who have signed an opt-out say they were given no choice. (TUC poll August 2003).

Nearly two out of three people who say they work regularly more than 48 hours a week say they have not been asked to opt out of the working time regulations. (TUC Poll August 2003). Either the law is being ignored, or the loopholes and exceptions are so great that few enjoy protection.

A study for the DTI (http://www.dti.gov.uk/work-lifebalance/press300802.html) found:

1 in 6 (16%) of workers surveyed now work over 60 hours a week compared to just 1 in 8 (12%) of all UK workers in 2000;

The number of women working over 60 hours has more than doubled from 1 in 16 (6%) in 2000 to approximately 1 in 8 today (13%);

Twice as many employees would rather work shorter hours than win the lottery;

Three quarters (75%) of employees currently work overtime, and of these, only a third (36%) are rewarded with extra pay or time off in lieu;

7 out of 10 (72%) highly stressed workers do not have access to any formal flexible working practices.

Notes to Editors:

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Contacts:

Media enquiries: Liz Chinchen 020 7467 1248 or 07699 744115 (pager) or email media@tuc.org.uk

Press release (700 words) issued 31 Mar 2004