Time´s Up For The Opt-Out?

Originally published October 2004

This month we will highlight new proposals from the European Commission which, if ratified, will restrict the use of the opt-out from the 48-hour maximum working week. In addition, we will also report on recent changes to the Disability Discrimination Act which have broadened its scope, providing increased protection for disabled employees and increased complexity for employers.

After extensive consultation across Europe, the European Commission has issued new proposals to update key aspects of the Working Time Directive. The proposals follow a review of the reference period being used when calculating average working time and the use of the opt-out from the 48-hour week. The proposals also deal with a new definition of time spent on-call by health professionals.