JUST TAKING A BREAK....

I notice that the despised European Union has ONCE AGAIN dismissed British employment guidelines and is forcing British companies to conform to European practise.

The ruling means that employers must ensure that staff take off at least 11 hours between working days, and have a minimum of 1 day off a week, as well as a 20-minute rest after every 6 hours of work. Business groups said that employees would be unable to choose to work long hours to earn more money because they would be forced to take breaks against their will.

The ruling is ANOTHER embarrassing defeat for the UK Department of Trade and Industry, which drew up guidelines in 1998 stating that employers merely had to advise staff that they were allowed certain rest breaks.  European judges said yesterday that the DTI’s advice encouraged employers to break the rules about time off. Syed Kamall, a Conservative MEP, said that the ruling would make Britain’s labour market less flexibile by preventing employees from choosing to work longer hours.

That, of course, is the entire point. The EU seeks to ensure ALL member states conform to its petty tyrannies and eliminating any British economic competitiveness is a useful consequence. Whilst I fully agree with Syed Kamall, I wonder why his Party remaims committed to a Union which is, by his own analysis, is working against the best interests of British workers?

Comments

[smcgiff]

'The ruling means that employers must ensure that staff take off at least 11 hours between working days, and have a minimum of 1 day off a week, as well as a 20-minute rest after every 6 hours of work.'

THE BASTARDS!

They'd probably stop us from re-employing 6 year olds for a full days pay again. Interfering, Mother Theresa, buggers!

P.S. David, are you extracting the Michael blogging the virtues of non-breaks in a blog to some commentators that'd be doing a good days work if they did 20 mins work every 6 hours! LOL!

[SBK]

1 day off a week, a proper nights sleep and a 20 minute break every 6 hours. That sounds really unreasonable!

DV go work for a 6 day week of 12 hour shifts with only 40 mins break time each day and tell us all how you feel. I've done this kind of work a few times in summer breaks from uni. It is utterly exhausting.

[David Vance]

SBK,

I don't wish to disparage your view, but I would simply add that IF people want to work 7 days a week, surely that is their choice and NOT for the EU courts to dictate?

[SBK]

DV

But it's not a choice. I've seen the "voluntary" waivers that companies trot out. If you don't sign it, you don't get the job it's that simple. Because you'll always find someone who is willing to let a company own him/her.