Tag: working time

A slim majority of MEPs yesterday (16 June) rejected the European Commission's recommendation that self-employed truckers be exempted from rules governing working time, concluding what had become a lengthy political battle between the forces of left and right.

After months of seeking a compromise on the Working Time Directive, MEPs and national diplomats failed to agree to cap Europeans' working week at a maximum of 48 hours. The failure prompted a host of finger-pointing as to who was to blame, which could potentially be exploited in the run-up to the European elections.

The European Parliament yesterday (17 December) voted to scrap national opt-outs to the Working Time Directive and enforce an EU-wide maximum working week of 48 hours, in open defiance of a group of member states led by the UK.

The European Parliament's employment committee yesterday (20 October) rejected a hard-fought compromise among member states, saying it failed to include any of MEPs' amendments.

The French Senate yesterday (23 July) approved a law allowing companies to strike individual deals with unions over working time that go beyond the current compulsory cap of 35 hours per week in a bid to boost the country's economic competitiveness.

The EU's employment ministers last night managed to overcome a year-long stalemate on setting working time caps and strengthening the rights of temporary agency workers, paving the way for the Commission to present a comprehensive social package in the coming weeks.

European coach drivers are heading for a clash with their employers over EU rules setting minimum resting periods, which tour operators claim have led to a "dramatic cost increase of up to 30%".

New EU legislation aimed at harmonising working time and ensuring minimum rest periods for truck drivers has met with fierce criticism from both trade unions and employers in the road transport sector who say they can lead to "different interpretations" and "unintentional infringements".

The number of days' leave offered to workers varies widely between member states – with citizens in some countries enjoying up to three and a half weeks' more time off than others, according to a new study.

The Commission wants to adapt rules for haulage and coach services, hoping to minimise time and fuel waste caused by unclear cabotage rules and to stop transport "cowboys", who give the sector a negative image.

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.

Europeans work on average much more than either collectively bargained agreements foresee and in many cases even more than the law allows, a new study by the European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) reveals.

The minimum annual leave of four weeks paid vacations per year cannot be converted into compensation payments, even when it is carried over into the next year, the European Court of Justice ruled. 

Several road transport associations have warned that member states will not make the 5 August deadline for the introduction of digital tachographs to record the speed and duration of truck journeys.

Reactions to the European Parliament vote on the working time directive have highlighted a schism at the heart of the debate on the future of Europe.

The Employment and Social Policy Council has failed to reach an agreement on the Working Time Directive at its meeting on 7 December.