EU Working time directive

[No1_Moose]

How would this piece of nonsense affect superyacht crews who will easily exceed the stipulated limits? Will it lead to cheap labour being used as owners have to employ double the current level of crew?
I am a little concerned as I wouldn't mind crewing for a few years but don't see the point if things are going to go downhill (as as happened in the MN?)

 

[aztec]

some "lucky" people are able to opt out... those who may be required to work long hours.... military, police, milkmen, firemen.... get the pic?

as for forseeable long working hours (shifts) the employer would have to either bring the length of shift down to the legal limit, or be exempted.

on our case (fire service) our nights are 15 hour shifts, we are now looking at changing them to 12, with the knock on effect that we may need to employ more personnel. cost effective?? good ol' tony.

 

[jfm]

Employment laws tend to be those of the flagging state. So in general, EU rules dont apply because the boats are flagged in Cayman Bermuda etc where these nonsensical rules dont apply. There may be some minimum employees limit too under the EU rules (eg, like the sex discrim rules in UK dont aplly to businesses employing 6 or fewer people) but I'm not sure about that. Safe to assume these rules just wont apply imho

 

[NorthernWave]

Hmmm 60 hours this week and counting!!!!

 

[Mike21]

That directive's been around a long time, the only difference now is they want to remove the opt-out, which allowed you to volutarily work longer hrs as long as you signed a piece of paper

Don't know how they are going to be able to enforce this, and wonder if you could take them to court for breaching your human rights to make your own decisions

 

[Lakesailor]

Can you take them to court?
Isn't that that like taking the Law Lords to court.

 

[Stevie_T]

Well now, I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about this. I work long hours, sometimes 72 hours a week, by choice. This is how I earn a decent living and how I have managed to just buy a yacht.
Whilst I agree that nobody should be forced to work more than 48 hours a week, it should be my choice if I choose to do so.
There are many people who choose to work hard for a few years and then retire early, others that do the same for a few months and then take a few months off to travel. Now I have my boat thats the way I wish to go.

Now the Eurocrats will railroad this through whatever, but will you see politicians sticking to a 48 hour working week? I doubt it. Even Blair knows it will be damaging to industry but won't stand up to it. What about people like myself who work away from home, there is only one reason to do it and thats to work hard and earn money. If where we work is too far away to go home for the weekend, do we want the weekend off? I dont think so.


So if ever there was a time for a NON vote for Europe, then this is it!

Rant over /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Mike21]

If you can take Bliar and co to court, should be possible to take that bunch in EU also.
Don't want some overpaid burocrats telling me how long I can work, that should be my decision.
Since I travel on business, I tend to work long hrs so that I can get finished and back home again.
Since the intention of removing of the opt out is so people spend less time working and more time with their families, will kind of defeat the object for a lot of people, as they'll end up away from home longer
Looks like another well thought out piece of socialist legislation /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[oldgit]

Re: EU Working time directive bit loungey this innit.

Why are our working hours here in the UK some of the longest in europe and yet we seem unable to put those hours to good use as we apparently are not by a long chalk the most productive workforce.

 

[halcyon]

Re: EU Working time directive bit loungey this innit.

That's why we have to work long hours.
Though we do have the most productive car plant at Sunderland.

Brian

 

[Mike21]

Re: EU Working time directive bit loungey this innit.

Having a dig thru the web on how they calculate productivity, part of it is how much you get paid for the hours worked, since in general uk employees are paid less than their Eu counterparts, that lowers uk employers productivity, also in general UK employers don't tend to invest in new more efficient equipment at the same rate as our eu partners.
It also appears that workers employed on maintenance and repairs are excluded from productivity calculations. and since uk has a smaller manufacturing base, but a larger service side, you work it out why uk employees are not so productive.

Off course our productivity would probably be better if ,f people and the government tended to do what most of the eu does, which is buy their home produced goods if possible rather than slag off and buy imports.

But what's this got to do with our right to choose.

 

[oldgit]

Re: EU Working time directive bit loungey this innit.

Cannot myself see any problem with imposing a limit to the number of hours worked by certain sections of the community.Long hours at work really ought to be discouraged the same as spitting on the bus and urinating in public.I really do not want to meet on the road some shagged out catatonic employee driving home from work late one evening after a long days work.Airline pilots,truck drivers,etc all have a limit to the number of hours they can work after which they cannot get behind the controls of any mechanical device.So why should an 18 hour day leave any office worker any fresher behind the wheel..
If you need to prove dedication to yourself, your company or your employer,please find some other way and resist long hours,just say NO.
It also causes inconvience for,ahem "others" who have managed to organise their lives within a nice relaxing 35 hour working week. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
People get very annoyed,cos they "need " stuff done at weekends and you tell em to get lost because you are out on your boat.

 

[Mike21]

Re: EU Working time directive bit loungey this innit.

Don't know anyone who works an 18 hr day, but you didn't look at my reply, a lot of people have to travel on business and stay away from home. Under this stupid piece of legislation you'd end up spending more time away from home, good for the hotel trade and pubs as you'd have lots of free time in the evenings but since you aren't at home, there'd be [no thanks] all else to do, then off course you wouldn't have any free time at weekends as you'd have to catch up on all your chores.

Then off course there's all those who only work a relaxing 35hr week who abviously pull down the productivity of UK workers /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[DazedConfused]

Re: EU Working time directive bit loungey this innit.

What the feck are you on about!?
I work shift which means some weeks i work 10 hours but others i work more then 80. At present, this is my choice to opt out for it coincides neatly with my current life. I get to spend lots of time with my 2 year old which i would otherwise not be able to do.
As for meeting tired people driving cars and putting others at risk i totally agree but everybody has different thresholds. It's up to the individual to realise their limit and take evasive action themselves. If this is a primary reason then this needs to be policed with a more realistic approach rather than to dictate what hours we are 'allowed' to work.

 

[oldgit]

all those who only work a relaxing 35hr week

Still far to long a working week as far as some of us are concerned.
Hard work never did anyone any good. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Callisto]

Agree entirely.

A No vote in France and hopefully another in the Netherlands may just make some of these jumped up bureacrats sit up and take notice.

I for one am totally fed up with unelected and unaccountable quangos and assorted other organisations that make up what is laughingly called the European Union, deciding on what I can and can't do, how long I can work, and various other affronts to my liberty (red diesel anyone? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

A one size fits all Europe aint going to work. Part of what makes us what we are is our individuality and our own culture.

I'm Cornish and very proud of it, so much so that I did ask if I could use it as my nationality but the passport office weren't too keen /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Bliar! and his cronies must learn that democracy means "rule for the people by the people" and the people of this small but proud country have spoken and said "no more interference in our affairs" The sooner the whole sorry episode called the EU is dismantled and reverts back to what it was intended to be, as a free trade market and not a overblown and over-bureacratic superstate, the better for all of us.

It will never work.........prime example........the French want subsidy for everything and everything state controlled, the Brits want free market and entrepreneurial spirit (as USA).

Imagine how much lower taxes would be in this country if we didn't pay billions into the EU for it to be wasted and used fraudulenty (see the papers - examples every day of this!)

Why do we need it - do we really want it - the referendum must be held and the question should not be about the EU constitution, but whether we want to be in it at all.

People make a stand - man the barricades - learn to sing Trelawney and Men of Harlech. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

We can fight them on the beaches - we can bite the on the features....................

OK so Callisto has totally lost the plot, but Hannabella.........thats a rant!!

I'll put the soapbox away now and get back to some work or I'll be here longer than the EU working time directive allows me to be

JH /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif