EU to study health of employees suffering effects of working long hours

THE effects on patients when doctors are forced to work long hours, or on road users when lorry drivers have to make long journeys, are to be studied by the EU.

They will also look at the effect on the health of employees required to work more than 45 hours a week as part of a major study on rules for working hours across the union.

The current law says the average hours worked each week should be 48, but at least one in 10 put in much longer hours. Some, such as doctors and lorry drivers, work in sensitive jobs where being stressed or tired could have serious consequences for others.

Several countries have opt-outs from the Working Time Directive, while others are gradually introducing the 48-hour rule, including Ireland for its doctors.

But attempts to reform the legislation failed last year when MEPs insisted countries should not retain their opt-outs, but agree to introduce the limit on working hours within a specified time frame.

Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Laszlo Andor announced a new attempt to rewrite the legislation in Brussels yesterday.

“The problems did not go away when our attempts to get agreement on new rules failed last year. We still need to find a balanced solution that addresses the real needs of workers, businesses and consumers in the 21st century,” he said.

The commission is carrying out a number of studies to find out the impact of working time on employees’ health and quality of life, on consumers, on businesses, including on their profitability. He is consulting employers and trade unions to see if action is needed, and what it might be. They have six weeks to get back to him, and after that the commission will decide if EU action is advisable.

John Monks, head of ETUC, the umbrella organisation of trade unions, said new legislation is needed. He said there was a clear link between long and irregular working hours and increased work-related health problems. “Although the world of work has changed in the past two decades, this evidence has not. So the protection of the health and safety of workers must remain a priority. This is crucial for all workers, but particularly for those whose jobs affect the lives of third parties, such as in healthcare or transport.”

He criticised the commission for failing to make the changes demanded by the European Court of Justice and said this contrasted with their action in other areas. But British Conservative MEPs, who want Britain to maintain their opt-out, insist that any such legislation interferes with the rights of people to work as many hours as they want.

“This review by the commission should start from the position that people know better than politicians how to run their lives. It should not be for Brussels to stop people from working at any time, but especially not during these tough times,” they said.

The current legislation says people should not be asked to agree to work long hours as a precondition of them getting a job.

Any new legislation, however, is likely to take a long time to work its way through the system as there is huge disagreement between member states, the trade unions and employers groups and MEPs.