Workers’ rights put at risk by plan to scrap EU working hours rules, says TUC
GuardianMay 10, 2023
UK Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch has unveiled a package of deregulatory reforms, including changes to the application of the EU working time directive in the country, as some 600 EU regulations are expected to be revoked by the end of the year.
The proposal, put forward on Wednesday, seeks to help firms cut costs and promote competition by reducing reporting requirements of the working time regulations and limiting the length of non-compete clauses to three months.
The British government is, outrageously, seeking to deprive its own citizens of fundamental labor rights in the post-Brexit era. The announced package of reforms, which will scrap some EU labor regulations, will very likely encourage unscrupulous employers to exploit workers by forcing them to take long, exhausting shifts.
It is completely false that the reforms proposed by the government on Wednesday threaten Britain's world leading record on workers' rights. Taking advantage of its new Brexit freedoms, the UK is adapting rules and regulations in the best interest of the nation, so that workers and firms can build a flourishing economy.
There's a 50% chance that the United Kingdom will apply to rejoin the EU by January 2049, according to the Metaculus prediction community.