Whatever the outcome, the proposals will provide an important test of the views of the enlarged European Union of states – and of the future of labour market regulation.TIME AT WORK Average hours worked per week, full-time employees, 2002UK 43.3Germany 39.9Ireland 39.5Italy 38.5France 37.7Source: EIRO/Eurostat. This was commissioned in anticipation of the proposed EU changes.The results will be too late to affect the proposals being hammered out by the commissioners this week, but may prove useful for lobbying members of the European Parliament before they vote on the issue.The DTI was coy about the level of interest in its consultation paper, but it is believed that many key bodies are yet to lodge their response despite the timeliness of the issue.Many groups are gearing up to lobby against any changes once the reforms agreed this week make their way through to the European Parliament. That’s the reality of the global economy.”While it’s important to stop any exploitation of workers, long hours are an unfortunate by-product of modern business.” Mr Shaw says that being outside the eurozone makes it “a little easier for the UK to take a more global perspective”.The day the EU commissioners meet is also the deadline for submissions to the Department of Trade and Industry’s own consultation paper on the issue. He says: “Having a 35- or 40-hour working week sounds like a very attractive scenario.

But, more importantly, Europe has to compete with the more aggressive economies such as the Far East. “The Working Time Directive is supposed to protect workers from working long hours and there’s nothing in these proposals which addresses this.”According to a 2003 TUC poll, one in three who signed an opt-out said they were given no choice. Nearly two-thirds said they regularly worked more than 48 hours.Investec Securities’ chief economist, Philip Shaw, believes there is a general understanding that there needs to be greater flexibility in the workplace, reflected by recent moves in France and Germany towards less rigid working practices. This gives businesses greater seasonal flexibility.The Trades Union Congress has criticised the leaked EC report’s failure to recommend the immediate removal of the opt-out, because it believes it is broadly misused.General Secretary Brendan Barber says the proposals fail to tackle important health and safety problems faced by British workers. The system we’ve got at the moment works relatively well.”According to a CBI survey, nearly three-quarters of employers think that losing the individual opt-out will damagebusiness.

They say it will undermine their ability to meet customer needs. Nearly one-third of employees have signed opt-outs.One proposal that employer groups have welcomed is the averaging of hours over 52 weeks. A spokesman said: “We would like to see the opt-out maintained. It says this could also break down the trust between employer and employees because of the “big brother element” in monitoring hours.The Institute of Directors has criticised the proposed reforms, saying the current system provides flexibility for both employers and workers.