Brussels, 02/04/2009
‘We have been following the process with great interest and concern, and we are now very worried about the turn it is taking. We have the strong impression that the current Presidency of the EU is not intent on brokering a win-win result which would offer Member States a sustainable legal framework on working time while protecting the health and safety of workers. In the run-up to the European Parliament elections, this is a negative message, confirming in peoples’ minds the image of Europe as being incapable of making progress in the social field.’
‘Some Ministers defend the opt-out as a means for workers to freely choose to work longer hours to survive in this period of economic crisis. However, this is a hollow argument at a time when the survival of many companies is dependent on programmes for short-term working. Workers may wonder if it would not be better to reduce the long hours of some to increase job opportunities for most.’
ETUC is convinced that most Member States would prefer an agreement between the Parliament and Council including a viable solution for workers with on-call duties in their working pattern. This would allow them to refrain from using or introducing a so-called opt-out. The current deadlock only serves to keep in place the strongly ideological UK opt-out, while not solving any of their problems in healthcare or other sectors of activity.