On 19th May the European Commission moved one step nearer to removing the UK opt-out on the Working Time Directive by publishing its views, so far, of the practice.
European Commission One Step Nearer To Removing UK Opt-out
The Commission prefers the removal of the current right of UK workers to opt out of the 48-hour maximum working week. However, it did suggest one option allowing retention of the UKs individual opt-out but with conditions that would, in effect, make it unworkable by
Requiring opt-out agreements only to be made with worker representatives or trade unions
The signing of employment contracts and the agreement to opt-out to take place at different points in time
Employers regularly reviewing an employees opt-out agreement to see if they still agree
Surely, it is only a matter of time before the opt-out goes. UK employers with no electronic method of recording employee hours can do so simply and cheaply with a WinTA Lite system.