EU Ministers agree on agency workers and working time

European Union Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs, at their meeting in Luxembourg, have agreed on two Directives of the utmost importance for European workers as they govern the aspects of working time and the rights of temporary agency workers.

The deal on the 'Working Time Directive' limits workers to a weekly maximum of 48 hours, but allows the social partners to find 'flexible arrangements' if granted approval by the employer. The insertion of this clause, under which workers could effectively put in up to 60-65 weekly hours, was one of the UK government's main demands, while Spain and other nations lobbied heavily against it.

As a safeguard, workers will not be eligible to sign waivers during their first month of employment and cannot be penalised for declining to do so. The EU had pushed for the restrictions after a survey found a third of British employees had signed such 'opt-out' forms.

A bloc including Spain, Belgium, Hungary, Cyprus and Greece resisted the compromise, labeling it a step back from the EU goal of greater security for workers, but most countries expressed their satisfaction with the deal.

At the same time, ministers also reached agreement on strengthening the rights of temporary agency workers, granting them the same rights in areas like holiday and sick pay as their permanent colleagues. Due to heavy UK lobbying, this right is only granted after employees have been in the job for 12 weeks, while the Commission had proposed a so-called 'grace period' of just six weeks.

EPSCO Council President, Slovenian Minister for Labour, Family and Social Affairs Marjeta Cotman, expressed great satisfaction at the success in finding solution that gave workers all-round security.

The Council of Ministers also adopted conclusions focusing on administrative cooperation in relation to posted workers and on anticipating and matching labour needs, with special emphasis on the young.