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Attention: Political and Industrial Correspondents

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Union safety reps call for strengthening of Working Time Regulations

To coincide with the North East ‘Focus on Europe Week’, a Northern TUC survey of trade union health and safety representatives has illustrated the important role the European Union has played in delivering improvements to workplace health and safety in the North East. However, the findings also suggested that existing regulations, especially those governing working time, need immediate strengthening. The main issue, according to the TUC, is that British employers are able to exploit loopholes in the UK’s interpretation of the regulations.

The survey found that long hours and stress were the main hazards faced by employees in workplaces across the North East. The Working Time Directive is one of the main EU Health and Safety initiatives brought in to tackle long hours in the workplace. However, the UK is the only EU Member State that allows staff to opt out of the 48-hour limit, meaning that many British workers are not covered by the regulations. Consequently, the UK still has the longest working week in the EU. At the same time, stress at work is a growing problem.

Peter O’Brien, TUC Regional Policy Officer, said:

Our survey reaffirms that the EU has played a vital role in helping to deliver improvements to workplace health and safety in the North East. However, the current working time regulations in the UK fail to do justice to the aims of the initial Directive. The UK tops the European long hours league, and yet we trail our competitors in the productivity stakes. The TUC believes the solution is to work smarter not longer. It is in the interests of employee and employers, as well as crucial our national and regional economic development, that we tackle the long hours culture now.

Notes to Editors:

The European Commission is conducting a review of the UK’s opt-out of the 48-hour working week. The review is due to be concluded by 23^rd November 2003.

Contact:

Peter O’Brien on 0191 232 3175 or 07766 750359

Press release (400 words) issued 14 May 2003