Overworked Since The Recession? Know Your Rights

The Working Time Regulations 1998

Since the recent recession many employers have “stream Lined” their workforce, making staff redundant will have been an option of keeping overheads down and may have been the only way of staying in business, however as the first signs of “green shoots” are starting to show (business is picking up) many employers are very reluctant to increase the work force again, for many employers lucky enough to keep their jobs the initial redundancies meant an increase in their work loads, however now that industries and businesses are picking up some workforces are being put under even more pressure resulting in excessive overtime,

The Working Time Regulations currently provide employees with the following basic rights and protections:

    * a limit of an average of 48 hours a week over a 17 week period which a worker can be required to work
    * a limit of an average of 8 hours work in 24 hours which night workers can work
    * a right to 11 hours rest a day
    * a right to a day off each week
    * a right to an in-work rest break if the working day is longer than 6 hours
    * a right to 28 days paid leave for full-time workers per year.

Click on the link below to go directly to the regulations:

The Working Time Regulations 1998

Organisations in Europe currently implement the opt-out clause to the 48 hour weekly limit, this allows companies to ask employees if they wish to agree to work more than 48 hours a week in a 4-month period. however employers cannot force employees to sign an opt-out, so remember employees cannot be dismissed for refusing to sign one.