After extensive consultation, the European Commission has adopted a proposal to update key aspects of the working time directive. The Commission is presenting the proposals as a package of inter-related measures that retains the principal objective, the health & safety of workers, while responding to the needs of the modern European economy. The three key changes are as follows:

• The individual opt-out from the 48 hour week remains possible but will be subject to stricter conditions to prevent abuse.
  
  
• Member States will be given the possibility to extend the reference period for calculating the 48-hour maximum working week from 4 months to a year.
  
  
• Time spent on call that is not worked would not be counted as working time, with compensatory rest granted within 72 hours.

Full details of the proposals will be provided in next week's Newsletter.

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...back to 24 September 2004

Sources:
europa.eu.int/....htm
europa.eu.int/....pdf
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