Tag: working hours

Even in advanced economies, women are bearing the brunt of a lack of work-life balance, a panel at the Employment Week event found.

Labour ministers broke up their 7 November 2006 summit with an agreement on working time further away than before. As a result, the British opt-out is there to stay and the Commission will begin infringement proceedings against most member states.

An new proposal from the Finnish presidency on the stalled Working Time Directive would allow the UK to maintain its opt-out from the directive's 48-hour cap, but introduce a 60-hour cap for all.

Reacting to a recommendation from the European Ombudsman, Commissioner Vladimír Špidla is putting pressure on member states to transpose and enforce EU working time law.

In a meeting preceding the Informal Council of employment and social affairs ministers in Helsinki, the European social partners have confirmed their deep divide over the Working Time Directive. 

In a vote on the revised working time directive the European Parliament is likely to back the scrapping of the controversial 'opt-out' clause, which is mainly used in the UK.

Longer working hours and delayed retirement were the main sticking points among the expert group chaired by Wim Kok, which is carrying out a review of the Lisbon process.