Opting out of the limit on the working week / Eurofound News, June 2015

At the request of the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Eurofound has published a report on opting out of the European Working Time Directive. Although Directive 2003/88/EC sets the maximum average working week at 48 hours (including overtime) as part of the minimum safety and health requirements for the organisation of working time, Article 22(1) provides the option for Member States to opt out from this weekly working limit. The report looks at how Member States make use of the working time opt-out, how widely it is used and what its impacts are on workers and employers. Although national data about its use are limited, the opt-out and long working hours continue to be the subject of heated debates among governments and social partners across the EU. Download the report.