Common sense wins this time

May 5 2009 By Sarah Green, The Journal

EVER since the UK negotiated an opt-out from the European Union’s working time laws, you have had a choice. Either you can stay within the 48-hour working week or, if you want to work longer hours, you can opt out.

You might call this an important liberty, or you might just call it common sense. Either way, it lets people decide for themselves. We think this is a good thing, and so does the UK government.

For the last five years, however, a sizeable group of politicians in Brussels has sought to remove the opt-out choice from Britain and other EU countries. Both the CBI and the government have lobbied hard to keep it.

Last week this came to a head, when discussions at the European Parliament meant to resolve the issue for good broke down.

This means that we have managed to keep the opt-out. But what does this mean for working people in the UK?

The opt-out gives businesses and their staff flexibility in the hours they work. Government figures show about one in 10 UK employees work more than 48 hours a week.

No one should be forced to work longer hours, but this doesn’t mean that the right to do so should be taken away.

Although working longer hours is not for everyone, we believe it’s a choice people should make themselves. This could mean doing overtime to earn extra wages to support you and your family during difficult times. Or it might be having a real passion for your work and wanting to go the extra mile.

For businesses, the opt-out provides flexibility to meet extra demand when times are good, or compete globally when times are hard and adapt to changing circumstances.

Keeping the opt-out is a victory for common sense, it is good for the UK economy and will help many employers and their staff in the North East.

Sarah Green, Director of CBI North East