EU working time directive
While it was most magnanimous, and immensely reassuring, of Emmanuel Abela, Director of Information, to enlighten us regarding the government's compliance with the EU working time directive (WTD) concerning statutory minimum paid annual leave...
While it was most magnanimous, and immensely reassuring, of Emmanuel Abela, Director of Information, to enlighten us regarding the government's compliance with the EU working time directive (WTD) concerning statutory minimum paid annual leave entitlements, he patently failed to address the other salient issues that I raised.
He appraised us that a register of hours worked must be kept by an employer and "competent authorities" may prohibit workers from exceeding the current agreed maximum allowance of 48 hours in any given week for health and safety reasons.
However, he fails to advise us who these competent authorities actually are and what exactly are the health and safety reasons to be implemented for declining any increase in this allowance? He manifestly fails to grasp the sole reason for the passing of the EU WTD, and that is to protect people from unscrupulous and ruthless employers, and safeguard their own well-being, by initiating these rulings.
He also studiously avoids any reference as to why the requirement for people to actually resort to working overtime, i.e. poor basic pay, should be necessary and what impact any overtime worked has on lack of job opportunities for the unemployed! He concludes by stating that it is a fundamental right to work more than 48 hours yet does not advise exactly how many hours he deems appropriate or acceptable for the maximum numbers one may work in any given week.
Can an employee really determine how many hours he/she will work before it affects their health? Also, it would be interesting to review any statistical data he may possess on these "work police" (whoever they may be) who apparently monitor and record hours worked by employees and enforce health and safety regulations when germane.
The primary reason for the WTD is to protect workers from themselves and excessive employer demands and to combat the discrepancy between payment for services rendered against hours worked, and that this WTD should be a tablet of stone, or perhaps it may just be that the martyrs of Tolpuddle uselessly gave their lives in search of similar workers' rights and safeguards.