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New analysis published this month by the TUC shows that a million more employees are at high risk of being forced to work excessive hours if the UK votes to leave the EU.
Although popular with workers, working time protections have been targeted by Brexit campaigners who claim it is red-tape that should be scrapped. Those wanting to scrap the EU Working Time Directive include Ukip, Economists for Brexit, and many Vote Leave supporting politicians, such as Boris Johnson and John Redwood.
The EU Working Time Directive has protected UK workers since 1998. The Directive’s rules have deterred many bosses from forcing UK workers into an average working week longer than 48 hours.
Before the rules started in 1998, there were 3,992,000 employees in the UK working excessive hours (longer than 48 hours a week). The workforce has since increased in size by 13.4%, so the equivalent figure today would be 4,527,000 employees working excessive hours.
Thanks to the impact of the EU Working Time Directive the number of employees working excessive hours has reduced. In 2015 it was 3,494,000 workers – a nominal reduction since 1998 of around half a million people. However, when the growth in the size of the workforce since 1998 is taken into account, it is an effective reduction of just over a million workers.
The TUC says that the EU’s working time protections have improved the quality of life for many workers, and increased the amount of time they can spend with their family.
The working time rules have also benefitted workers’ health and safety. Regularly working excessive hours is associated with an increased risk of several health problems, including heart disease, stress, depression and diabetes.
Public safety has benefitted too. Workers in health, transport and other areas with public safety demands are more likely to make dangerous, perhaps fatal, mistakes if they are over-worked and too tired.
 TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:
“Working people’s rights are on the line in this referendum – and working time protections are particularly at risk.
“Brexit campaigners have made no secret of their wish to scrap working time protections. If they get their way, the 48 hour limit will be gone and your boss will be able to force you to work 60 or 70 hour weeks. The only way working people can be sure of keeping their rights at work is to stay in the EU. Nobody knows exactly how bad things could get for workers’ rights outside of the EU, but the legal experts are all saying it will be worse.”
Employment lawyers are warning that working time protection is at particularly high risk from Brexit. Michael Ford QC, the Employment Silk of the year 2015, and GQ Employment Law have both published legal opinions suggesting it is one of the workers’ rights at greatest risk if the UK votes to leave the EU.
Source: TUC
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