September 9 2003 - The TUC has launched a new campaign against long hours.
Their It's about time campaign wants people who work very long hours to call a new TUC
telephone hot line or use a website to report abuses of legislation on long hours
According to a recent TUC poll, one in four people who signed an opt
out from the working time regulations were not given a choice about opting out. And two out of
three people working over 48 hours have not been asked to sign an opt out. According to the
Labour Force Survey around 4 million people work more than 48 hours a week - 700,000 more than in 1992 when there was no long hours protection.
The UK is alone in allowing any worker to opt out of the Europe wide 48 hour
limit on average working time. This opt out is due to be reviewed by the European Commission later
this year. Full time employees in the UK work the longest hours in Europe. The average for full timers in the UK is 43.5. In France it's 38.2 and in Germany 39.9, yet both countries are more productive than the UK.
Whereas employers say that working more than 48 hours a week is a matter of free choice. But the
TUC poll found that many were not given a choice, and a new analysis of official figures shows that
three out of five people working over 48 hours a week would like to work fewer hours.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
'Today we declare war on Britain's long hours culture with the launch of the TUC's It's about time campaign.
'We work the longest hours in Europe, yet other countries are more productive and earn more.
'The long hours disease grips too many workplaces. European rules meant to limit working time to 48 hours a week have made little difference. More people work longer than 48 hours a week than before the working time regulations were introduced.
'Why is this?
'First, few people know their working time rights. Only one in three people at work even know there is a 48 hour limit according to a new TUC poll we publish today.
'Second, the UK is the only country that allows everyone at work to opt out of the 48 hour limit. The result is that too many employers force staff to opt out. One in four who have signed an opt out say they were not given a choice, according to the TUC poll.
'Third, because many employers ignore the law. Nearly two out of three people who work more than 48 hours a week have not even been asked to sign an opt out, according to our poll.
'But we have the chance to change this. The European Commission is to review the opt out by the end of November.
'This provides the opportunity to introduce a 48 hour average limit for almost everyone at work in the UK.
'But employers are lobbying hard, and I'm worried they are winning the battle for the government's ear.
'Their argument is simple. They say that people should have the right to work more than 48 hours if they wish. They are trying to turn this into an issue of individual freedom.
'But their argument is wrong in fact and principle.
'Our poll shows that people are coerced into signing away their rights. But the real argument is in the government's own authoritative Labour Force Survey. This shows that two out of three people who work more than 48 hours a week want to work fewer hours.
'So people are not making a free choice because they love their jobs so much, as employer lobbyists say. It makes as much sense to talk about freedom to work very long hours as it does to talk about freedom to work for less than the minimum wage or to work in a dangerous workplace.
'We need to persuade the government that this so called free choice is bogus. So today we are asking people to tell us their experiences of working very long hours. People can call the TUC time line 0870 8 500 500 or visit www.worksmart.org.uk to email us their story. We want to hear about people who have been forced to sign an opt out, those who have not been allowed to opt in again or those whose boss simply ignores the law.
'We also want to make people more aware of their long hours rights. We have a new leaflet that explains how to opt in to the 48 hour limit if you have opted out.
'And we know that this is not just a matter of changing the law. It needs a cultural change too.
'Unions have already won real changes in workplaces up and down the country. We welcome the changes the government has made, such as the right for parents to request flexible working and their promotion of work-life balance.
'But what makes me angry is that people cannot see that the UK's very long hours is a symptom of something sick about our workplaces. Long hours are a symptom of badly organised, unproductive workplaces. It's an easy way out for incompetent managers.
'We can't end it overnight. We're happy to negotiate and talk about phasing some of the changes we need. But my message today is clear and simple - It's about time.
'It's about time we ended the UK's long hours culture.'
In contrast, Digby Jones of the CBI said: "I find the TUC's figures hard to believe. DTI research has found little evidence that employers are abusing the working time rules and tribunals have received few complaints. Interestingly the number of people working over 48 hours a week has actually fallen every year since 1999.
'Removing the opt-out to the working time directive would stop thousands of people working overtime and remove a vital flexibility for employers. What gives the TUC the right to interfere with the freedom of choice of the individual in the vastly different world of work of the 21st century.
'The trade unions represent 63 per cent of public sector workers and only 19 per cent in the private sector. They have no relevance to the everyday working lives of over 80 per cent of private sector employees and over a third in the public sector.
'The trade unions should focus their energies on developing a modern, flexible, highly employable workforce and tackling the real issues of tomorrow rather than fighting the battles of yesterday. More companies are moving good jobs overseas. They will not come back to the back UK once lost.'
The TUC wants people who were given no choice about opting out of the 48 hour
limit or whose employers ignore legislation to tell their stories via or by
calling the TUC timeline on 0870 8 500 500. Employees can also obtain information leaflets
about their working time rights, including a new guide on how to opt back into working
time protection.
Related articles
January 5 2006 - More accurately, 4,759,000 employees worked an average of 7 hours 24 minutes a
week in unpaid overtime in 2005, according to a TUC analysis of the official
Labour Force Survey figures.
