Britannia Radio

Here is the actual news story of the disgraceful breach of promise in 
the European parliament .  You can't trust these MEPs to keep their 
word.

So unless the council of Ministers can stop this deceit,  hard-
pressed workers will be prevented from working harder to save their 
families and you'll have a breed of ill-trained inexperienced doctors 
looking after you.

XXXXXXXXXXX CS
[SEE earlier "Breaking promises is normal -  In the EU" of 17/120-8]
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TELEGRAPH   18.12.08
British working week could be capped at 48 hours
The British working week could be legally capped at 48 hours after 
the European Parliament voted to scrap the UK's opt-out from labour 
market rules.

By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels and James Kirkup

The move, backed by a majority of Labour MEPs, prompted warnings from 
business leaders that firms would shut down and the shrinking UK 
economy would face a new burden if workers were no longer allowed to 
work overtime.

British ministers have vowed to keep the opt-out but the matter will 
now be subjected to lengthy negotiations between European 
governments, MEPs and the European Commission.

The issue will be decided at a summit of European leaders late next 
year and the final decision could be taken by a qualified-majority 
vote, leaving Britain without a veto.

European Socialist parties have always opposed Britain's 15-year-old 
exemption from the EU Working Time Directive.

The vote to end the opt-out was triggered by Alejandro Cercas, a 
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party MEP

Mr Cercas said the parliament's 421-273 vote to end the opt-out would 
help create "a social Europe".

Twelve of the 19 Labour MEPs backed Mr Cercas' proposals to ban 
British workers from voluntarily choosing to work more than 48 hours 
a week after 2011, whatever their personal or professional 
circumstances.

Gary Titley, the leader of Labour's MEPs, defended the vote as an 
attempt to "find the balance between flexibility and exploitation".

Dave Prentis, head of the Unison trade union, said the vote would be 
"a welcome Christmas present for hard working public sector workers".

But business experts and opposition parties said a cap on working 
hours could cost British workers their jobs. Three million British 
workers have chosen not to restrict their overtime opportunities by 
opting out of a 48 hour maximum working week set by the EU.

Jonathan Exten-Wright, an employment lawyer at DLA Piper, said the 
decision could force some businesses to close, leading to more job 
losses.
He said: "Imposing a ban on working over 48 hours per week could deal 
a further blow to UK employers already suffering in the current 
economic climate. Losing opt-out agreements could constrain the 
labour market - potentially damaging business survival rates and 
fuelling further rounds of redundancies and bankruptcy filings."

David Frost, director the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "We're 
in the middle of a recession and as soon as we come out of this 
downturn, MEPs want businesses to have their competitive advantage 
stripped away."

John Cridland, CBI deputy director-general, said workers should be 
free to chose their own hours.

Alan Duncan, the Shadow Business Secretary, attacked Gordon Brown for 
failing to control Labour's MEPs.

"Reducing the flexibility of our labour market going into what even 
government ministers are calling the deepest recession we have ever 
faced is an economic madness that only the Labour Party would be 
capable of. It's clear that Gordon Brown is too busy saving the world 
to save British business from his own party."

Liz Lynne, a Lib Dem MEP said the vote was "a bitter blow for 
businesses and workers alike".

Pat McFadden, the Business Minister, discussed the defeat with 
employment ministers in Brussels, and insisted the UK will not accept 
the MEPs' decision.

He said: "Freedom of choice over working hours has operated 
successfully in the UK and in other member states for many years. The 
government supports the opt-out, which gives that choice to UK 
workers, and will continue to defend it."
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THE TIMES   18.12.08
British opt-out from 48-hour working week defeated in Strasbourg

David Charter, Brussels

Britain's opt-out from the EU's 48-hour working week was soundly 
defeated in a vote by the European Parliament today, with many Labour 
MEPs voting against the Government's attempts to keep the measure 
first won by John Major in 1993.

The defeat marks a humiliation for Gordon Brown who signed up to a 
parallel agreement to give temporary and agency workers full 
employment rights after just 12 weeks in the hope [ "in the promise" 
in fact -cs] of a deal to save the British opt-out from the EU 
working time directive.

It will trigger last-ditch talks between the European Parliament and 
the 27 EU member states on the directive although the two sides are a 
long way apart. They have until May to reach a compromise or the 
entire revised directive will fall, leaving the status quo - and the 
British opt-out - in place.

In a series of votes today, MEPs voted by 421 to 273 to cap the 
working week at 48 hours after a three-year phase-out for the British 
opt-out. This absolute majority sparked loud cheers among lawmakers 
and will strengthen parliament's hand in its talks with EU states.

"I think it is now a question of when the opt-outs end rather than 
if," said Stephen Hughes, a Labour MEP who defied the Government and 
led the European Socialist Group's opposition to the opt-out.

"It is a matter of how long it will take to end the opt-outs. We are 
willing to give very long transition periods for some niche sectors," 
Mr Hughes added

There was also a clear defeat for a compromise on on-call time 
negotiated in June after Britain and other countries argued that 
counting every hour spent by healthcare staff in the workplace would 
damage the NHS. The EU member states wanted to bring in a new 
definition of inactive on-call time, when a worker is taking a break 
in the workplace, but this was defeated by 512 to 141 votes today.
"I would like to congratulate two million doctors around Europe," 
said Alejandro Cercas, the Spanish socialist who steered the measure 
through parliament.
"This is an opportunity to make our agenda the agenda of the 
citizens," Mr Cercas said.

Talks between parliament and EU states are likely to begin by 
February and can last a maximum of eight weeks. If there is no deal, 
the existing EU law and opt-outs still stand.

"No changes can be made to the existing working time directive unless 
there is an agreement between the European Parliament and the council 
of EU ministers," said EU Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla.

BusinessEurope, which represents businesses across the EU, said it 
hoped that issues of competitiveness, flexibility and costs would be 
uppermost when it came to the negotiations.

"Reducing the working time has never created employment," said 
BusinessEurope's director general, Philippe de Buck.

Labour unions have said that allowing people to work more than 48 
hours would put pressure on them to do so and raise the risk of 
accidents.

A compromise on the law is urgently needed because doctors in several 
EU countries have filed lawsuits against hospitals for not complying 
with rulings from the European Court of Justice.