Britain and the Working Time Regulations
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-9256.00133 |
| Published date | 01 February 2001 |
| Date | 01 February 2001 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Britain and the Working Time
Regulations
Alasdair Blair
Coventry University
Luchien Karsten
University of Groningen
John Leopold
Nottingham Business School
It is now over a year since the Working Time Regulations entered force in Britain on
1 October 1998, during a period when the government also introduced the minimum wage. But
whereas that piece of legislation appears to have faded away into the background of British
industrial relations, the Working Time Regulations continue to remain a central topic. Based on a
survey of British companies and organisations, this article reviews the implementation of the
legislation and examines the scope of coverage. It finds that the failure of the Labour government
to consult the social partners – employer and employee representatives – resulted in business being
unprepared for the Regulations. The article also notes that the manner in which this legislation
was introduced has meant that many of the employees who were working excessive hours
continue to do so.
Introduction
The implementation of the Working Time Regulations on 1 October 1998 ended
nearly a decade of British opposition to European Union attempts to regulate
working conditions. Among other points, research into this subject area sheds light
on the economic impact of the Regulations on the competitiveness of British
industry and demonstrates the nature of Britain’s relationship with the European
Union. These two subject areas have provided some of the most controversial
debates in British politics in recent years, though for much of that time they were
not perceived as being linked. Industrial relations policy was thus regarded as a
domestic matter that was of little relevance to Britain’s relationship with the
European Union.
This state of affairs changed in the late 1980s when the regulation of social policy
at the EU level became a key objective of the European Commission, being
reflected in the 1989 Social Charter and the Commission’s 1990 draft Directive on
working time. But a Conservative government who wanted to maintain a flexible
and competitive labour market opposed such policy objectives at the EU level. The
introduction of legislation on working time therefore represents some important
changes in the nature of Britain’s commitment to the European Union, as well as
a reform in the nature of industrial relations policy. It also provides an important
example of the European Union’s impact on policy within Member States.
POLITICS: 2001 VOL 21(1), 40–46
© Political Studies Association, 2001.
Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA
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