Revision of the EU Working Time Directive

The EMF noted that there is currently strong pressure on the European Council and national governments to come to a political compromise during the Finnish Presidency. Certain key points in the revision are still strongly debated. These key points could easily undermine the role of the working time directive, as a general minimum safeguard for workers’ protection in the field of extremely long working hours, to the detriment of workers’ health and safety and the balance between work and family life.

The EMF is strongly in favour of a revision of the working time directive, but in the sense as originally foreseen when the WTD was first introduced in 1993, i.e. a gradually fade out of the individual opt-out clause on the maximum number of average working hours per week (48). “We need to find modern solutions for modern problems,” stated Bart Samyn, EMF Deputy General Secretary, “and not simply use longer working hours, which not only constitute a risk for workers’ health and safety but are also proven to be unproductive from an economic perspective.”

The EMF also draws particular attention in this case to the situation of professional and managerial staff, who most often discuss their contracts and core labour conditions individually and hence fall directly under the provisions of the EU working time directive, which provides their only safeguard.
Furthermore, the EMF reiterates that the ruling of the European Court of Justice on the topic of ‘on-call time’, and its recognition as working time, needs to be respected and recognised by all EU member states.

The EMF calls on the Council, the Commission and all national governments to take into consideration the wishes and the expectations of all workers in Europe and at least respect the position taken by the European Parliament: the Parliament voted in favour of a phasing-out of the opt-out within three years, recognising on-call time as working time, in line with the European Court of Justice rulings.

To undermine an essential cornerstone of Social Europe would be completely unacceptable.
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PRESS 25/2006

The EMF is the representative body defending the interests of workers in the European metal industry. The EMF has a mandate for the external representation and coordination of the metalworkers' unions and a mandate to engage in bargaining at European level.

For further information please contact:
Editor, Peter Scherrer, EMF General Secretary
Bart Samyn, EMF Deputy General Secretary Tel. + 32 2 227 1019