If you would like to hear Jean speaking during the Working Time Directive debate in the European Parliament yesterday evening, go here.
(Scroll down to the Working Time debate under Subjects and scroll down to Jean under Speakers. You may need to download the speech if it doesn’t run directly from this page.)
New figures released this week have confirmed that Londoners work some of the longest hours in the UK. It is estimated that one in six people in London work over 48 hours per week, a higher proportion than in any other region. 45,000 people are working over 66 hours per week.
Tomorrow a crucial vote will take place in the European Parliament on the EU Working Time Directive. Up to now the UK has opted out of the legislation which is designed to protect workers’ health and safety by limiting their average working week to 48 hours over a 12 month period. If the Parliament votes to end the opt-out it is recommended to be phased out within three years. However the next steps will be to negotiate the way forward with the Council.
Jean Lambert, the Green Party MEP for London and Member of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee in the European Parliament, who has been heavily involved in negotiations on the Directive, said:
“We have an opportunity this week to give UK workers the right to enjoy a better work-life balance. There are many health issues related to the long-hours culture including stress, anxiety and depression, as well as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and insomnia. This Directive is first and foremost about protecting health and safety.
“The majority of long hours employees are not paid for their overtime and therefore have little to fear in terms of their earnings if we end the opt-out. Unsurprisingly, seven out of ten people who work unpaid overtime want to reduce their hours. Over half of those doing paid overtime also want to cut their working time.
“The UK Government has been pressurising MEPs to vote to keep the opt-out, thereby leaving UK workers open to exploitation. Why should UK workers be expected to work longer hours and have fewer rights than those on the continent?”
Regarding concerns that the Directive will be bad for business, Jean Lambert MEP said:
“There is a large degree of flexibility built into the Directive for businesses so that employees can work longer in peak times, as long as they do not work more than an average of 48 hours per week over a 12 month period.”
MEPs will be voting on proposals to end the UK opt-out from the Directive on Wednesday 17th December. Jean Lambert’s report Must I Work Harder?, which outlines her reasons behind calling for an end to the UK opt-out, can be found here.
Notes to Editors
In the UK, 38 per cent of people working over 48 hours per week only work 1 or 2 hours more, so it would be relatively easy to adjust their working time to comply with the Directive. However, 14 per cent of those working long hours work over 60 hours per week.
Percentage of people working over 48 hours per week by region
North East – 11%
North West – 11%
Yorkshire and Humberside – 12%
East Midlands – 14%
West Midlands – 13%
Eastern – 15%
London – 16%
South East – 14%
Wales – 10%
Scotland – 12%
Northern Ireland – 10%
Number of people working over 48 hours per week
London – 481,215
UK total – 3,251,494
Health effects of long hours working
Serious physical effects of long hours:
– Cardiovascular disease (in the UK there are 66,000 reported cases of heart disease each year related to work)
– musculoskeletal disorders
– chronic infections
– diabetes
– high blood pressure
Other physical effects:
– headaches
– gastrointestinal disturbances
– extreme fatigue
– insomnia
– lower immune system
Psychological impacts of long hours:
– stress (Government figures cite stress as second only to musculoskeletal disorders as Britain’s most likely reason for time off work)
– anxiety
– depression
Health related facts:
– Road safety experts believe that exhausted drivers account for more accidents than drunk drivers
– Surgeons kept awake all night can make 20per cent more mistakes and take 14percent longer to complete tasks
– 45 % of employees in the EU who work more than 48 hours per week consider that their health and safety is at risk because of work (as opposed to 26 per cent who work less than 48 hours)
– 55 per cent of employees in the EU who work more than 48 hours per week consider that their work effects their health (as opposed to 32 per cent who work less than 48 hours.
Statistics source: TUC
Jean Lambert is one of nine MEPs representing London and one of two UK Green representatives in the European Parliament. In October 2005 Jean was named MEP of the year for her work on Justice and Human Rights. Jean was first elected Green Party Member of the European Parliament for London in the 1999 European elections and was re-elected in 2004.