“I am naturally very sorry to see you go, but understand… your wish to be able to spend more time with your family”, (Mrs Thatcher responding to Norman Fowler’s resignation letter in 1990).
Working time is a controversial issue, especially here in the UK where we’re alleged to have a ‘long hours culture’. Certainly, other countries in Europe, most notably our nearest neighbour, France, has a very different attitude to working hours (“vive la difference” they might say – we couldn’t possibly comment, being objective researchers!)
Recently, the UK Government has come under progressively more pressure from the Trade Unions and from other parts of Europe to adhere more strictly to the ‘Working Time Directive’ and to end ‘opt-outs’, where employers negotiate agreements with their employees in order to get round the Directive.
See full Press Release.
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