Working time opt-out must stay, MEP insists

The right of workers to choose if they want to work more than 48 hours a week must be preserved, MEP Simon Busuttil insisted.

He was addressing a congress organised by the World Organisation for Workers in collaboration with Union Haddiema Maghqudin (UHM) entitled ‘Workers sold out?’.

The Employment Committee of the European Parliament recently voted to rule out the so-called opt-out and limit the weekly working hours to a maximum of 48 hours a week. This put the European Parliament in direct confrontation with the Council of Ministers which favours keeping the opt-out.

Dr Busuttil said that along with the large part of the EPP-ED group in the European Parliament, he favoured the Council position to preserve the opt-out leaving it up to individual workers to decide.

He felt that a measure of flexibility was needed to enable workers to decide if they wanted to work more than 48 hours a week, rather than deciding for them by changing the law.

“Individuals already have the right to work a maximum of 48 hour-week and it is up to them to work longer hours if they choose to do so. We should not decide for them.” he said.

On the other hand, Dr Busuttil acknowledged that the system should not be abused and employers should not be able to force employees to sign off their rights at the point of recruitment by getting them to accept to work endless overtime hours against their will. Under EU law a worker who refuses to work more than 48 hours can do so without suffering any penalties or dismissal.