NATFHE welcomes EU decision to remove the right to opt out of the Working Time Directive
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Lecturers union NATFHE has welcomed the European Parliaments decision to end the right to opt-out from European legislation – the Working Time Directive, which established a 48-hour maximum working week. Unions say many workers are pressed into opting out of the rules by employers keen to make them work long hours.
According to official statistics, lecturers and teachers are the occupational group which does more unpaid overtime than anyone else.
NATFHE general secretary Paul Mackney said: “This is good news for thousands of hard working people including everyone in teaching. On average teachers and lecturers do 11 hours 36 minutes unpaid overtime each week. Many other workers are pressed into working very long hours. It really is time that we ended the exploitation of people in this way. The UK government should now abandon its support for the opt”“out and adopt 21st century work policies. As someone said, it’s time to go forwards not back.”
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