EU talks over UK working opt-out

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By Chris Mason BBC News, Brussels

Formal talks are beginning in Brussels to determine whether the UK can retain its opt out from the European Working Time Directive, which aims to limit the working week to 48 hours.

The government wants to keep the opt out - but members of the European Parliament voted to scrap it in December. Labour MEP Glenis Willmott said long hours were a health and safety issue

The directive is a European Union initiative designed to protect workers from exploitation by employers.

It lays down regulations on matters such as how long employees work, how many breaks they have and how much holiday they are entitled to.

Its central goal is to ensure that no employee in the EU is obliged to work more than an average of 48 hours a week.

But the UK negotiated an opt out - to which 14 other member states are also signed up.

That opt out has been under threat ever since MEPs - including an overwhelming majority of Labour members - voted to scrap it, despite opposition from the Council, which represents national ministers.

The disagreement has led to a deadlock - which is why the EU's Conciliation Committee has now stepped in.

'Point of principle'

It has also exposed a division between Gordon Brown and a majority of his MEPs.

Labour's leader in Brussels, the East Midlands MEP Glenis Willmott, has made it clear she wants the opt out scrapped.

"Working more than 48 hours per week on a regular basis can pose significant risks to health," she writes on her blog.

"Excessive working time is linked to stress, depression and heart disease. For me it is an important point of principle that exemptions from health and safety law should not be allowed."

We are at one with the UK government on this - it simply should not be decided at a European level Alyn Smith SNP MEP <a class="" href="/1/hi/uk_politics/7947492.stm">Talks over working week opt-out </a>

But that puts her at odds with employment relations minister Pat McFadden at Westminster.

He told the BBC: "During the current downturn it is more important than ever that people have the right to put more money in their pockets by working longer hours if they wish."

The Eurosceptic think tank Open Europe estimates losing the opt out could cost the UK economy eight billion pounds a year.

There are also serious concerns about the impact on fire services.

It is feared thousands of part time - or retained - firefighters, who often also have another job, would be forced to give up.

"Should this campaign be lost, fire and rescue services who employ such personnel as a major part of their emergency cover would have immense difficulties in replacing this cover - and at huge additional cost to the taxpayer," John Barton, the general secretary of the Retained Firefighters Union says.

'Long hours culture'

In England there are about 28,000 retained firefighters, out of 74,000 firemen and women in the service.

In some counties, such as Suffolk and Lincolnshire, more than 70% of the county fire service is made up of retained crews.

There is a similar dependence on them in Scotland.

Alyn Smith, SNP MEP for Scotland, said: "There should be a Scottish solution for a Scottish issue here.

"We are at one with the UK government on this - it simply should not be decided at a European level.

"Huge parts of rural Scotland rely on crucial support services that would be very badly affected by losing this opt out. From vets to retained firefighters, Scotland would lose out."

For others though, including Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans, this is a great opportunity to end the UK's "long hours culture."

"Too many Welsh workers are being asked to work for too long. Many people feel obliged to work for far longer than they are paid for - and that has to stop."

The Green Party's two British MEPs agree - as does the Unite trade union.

But the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and UK Independence Party agree with the government.

A compromise has to be reached here in Brussels within eight weeks - in time for the European elections in June.