Text tabled : A6-0440/2008

  Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL), in writing. − (NL) There are forces across Europe that see the present lack of labour protection in the new eastern Member States as an important competitive advantage that enables companies to lower their labour costs. The Working Hours Directive, as the Council would like to see it, will eventually lead to longer working hours for less pay for everyone. It is completely beyond the voters why cooperation of their countries within the EU should lead to a change for the worse, not for the better.

Under this proposal, short-term exemptions that extend working hours due to peaks in production or the height of the tourist season can be utilised the whole year round. On-call duty for firefighters, for example, need no longer be remunerated. A majority of this Parliament wanted to agree to this before, on condition that the current opt-out is phased out completely within a few years. The Council, however, would like to make this opt-out permanent and widen it, in fact. Certainly under those circumstances, a Working Hours Directive is wholly unwelcome.

It would only undermine superior national regulations in many EU Member States. The spiral is now tending downwards towards the unacceptable level in the new Member States. Fortunately, a broad majority has spoken out today in favour of ending the exemption option in 3 years’ time.