イギリスＴＵＣのコメント

ＥＴＵＣにとっては派遣指令案はいいニュースだけど労働時間指令の方は「改悪」だという感じでしたが、現実に個別労働者のオプトアウトが認められているイギリスのTUCからすると、

>EU agreement - good news for agency workers and progress on working time, says TUC

http://www.tuc.org.uk/law/tuc-14925-f0.cfm

労働時間指令の方も「進歩」という具合です。

>Commenting on the outcome of the EU's Social Affairs Council, which reached agreement on an Agency Working Directive and changes to the Working Time Directive, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

'This adds up to good news for people at work in the UK. The agreement on agency work is a major step forward in delivering a fair deal at work for UK agency workers and a real breakthrough on an issue that has been stalled at EU level for many years.

'While we are disappointed that the UK opt-out on the 48 hour working week remains, there has been real progress on other working time issues.

'Employers will no longer be able to put pressure on staff to sign away their working time protection for four weeks and there will be an absolute limit of a 60 hour average week for most of the workforce - affecting more than 400,000 workers. All these measures have been opposed by employer lobby groups.

'Nor has the UK government won a permanent opt-out, despite its energetic campaign. The opt-out will be reviewed again in the future.

'While there will need to be detailed negotiations, and attention to the small print, the EU has once again proved an important route to better working conditions and employment rights.'

一応個別オプトアウトは残ったけれども、それでも1週間60時間という上限が設定されたんだから、前よりは進歩だ、と。

まあ、これまでも労働時間の上限ではないですが1日11時間の休息期間の反射的効果として1日13時間の上限はあったわけですが。