Brussels, 21/04/2005
"This is an important first step in the right direction. It shows that the EP, despite massive lobbying by the UK government and business organisations, is capable of taking an independent position.
It is clear that the majority vote on the Cercas report is built on compromises, some of which will be painful for trade unions in Europe to swallow. However, we recognise that the report takes a different direction on key issues from that which the European Commission and a considerable part of the Council of Ministers have followed so far, and thereby tries to preserve the basic principles of the Working Time Directive, as anchored in the European Constitution.
"The European Court of Justice's verdicts that on-call time is working time are upheld. There is strong support for the introduction of provisions that should support workers in combining work and private life. And there is a very clear message that opting-out of working time regulation is not the modern way towards labour market flexibility.
"The UK government, in pursuing the preservation of the opt-out `to preserve the flexibility of its labour market' mistakes flexibility for long hours, and overlooks good practice in many other EU Member States, where limitation and reduction of working hours has been combined with increased flexibility and higher productivity. We call on all political groups in the Parliament to improve and support the compromise package in the plenary in May."