The organisation is reacting to recent statements from the
Trades Union Congress that it says are myths.
While there are more people who work over 48 hours in the UK
than in other EU countries, the CIPD claims there is also a far
greater proportion of the UK
workforce working less than 30 hours a week than on the
continent.
The CIPD points out that the average working hours for full-time
workers in the UK are actually falling. Its survey, Working
Time Regulations: Calling Time on Working Time, suggests that
three-quarters of long-hours workers do so out of
choice.
According to the research, nearly a quarter of workers who work
more than 48 hours a week do so for financial reasons – and the
CIPD highlights this as a reason for not supporting proposed
changes to the Working Time Regulations.
These Regulations implement the EU’s Working Time Directive,
which currently provides that workers in all sectors, public or
private, must not work longer than 48 hours a week, including
overtime. The Directive also specifies requirements for rest
periods, breaks and no less than four weeks' paid holiday per year.
Its aim is to protect workers from the health and safety
consequences of overworking.
In 1993, the UK negotiated an opt-out which allows Member States
not to apply the limit to working hours under certain conditions:
prior agreement of the individual; no negative fall-out from
refusing to opt-out; and records kept of working hours of those
that have opted out.
But there is a growing pressure to get rid of the
opt-out clause, culminating in a vote in favour of
scrapping the provision when the issue came before MEPs in May last
year. The Council of Ministers has yet to approve the measure,
which was mothballed during the UK’s Presidency of the EU in the
latter half of 2005.
According to the CIPD, removing the opt-out clause would
increase moonlighting, as employees may be forced to take
up a second job if overtime is curtailed.
"The CIPD is opposed to long hours working and wants to see
greater flexibility at work to help individuals balance their work
and home lives more effectively,” said Ben Willmott, CIPD Employee
Relations Adviser. “However, we don't believe that a statutory
restriction on working time through the removal of the Working Time
Regulations opt-out clause is the best way of achieving this.”
According to the CIPD, long hours can be best challenged by
tackling workplace culture, shifting the emphasis from time spent
at work to individual output.
Willmott also pointed out that France is in the process
of effectively phasing out its statutory 35-hour maximum working
week because of concerns that it has proved an added drag
on their economy, damaging competitiveness and contributing to high
levels of unemployment.
"The tight labour market in the UK and demographic changes will
put further pressure on employers to embrace the work-life balance
agenda. It is this business necessity to become an employer of
choice in a competitive labour market which will increasingly
encourage organisations to curtail long-hours working and embrace
greater flexibility," he added.
