maximum hours

superlauren321

hi all
hoping you can help with a problem.
my partner currently works 60 hours a week (over 5 days) having signed to agree to work over 48 hours per week.
however he is being threatened with disciplinary action if he doesnt work extra shifts at 12 hours each.
this is a well known national company who have before made him work 16 days in a row without a day off.
some people have said to me that the legal maximum is 60 hours a week but im having difficulty backing this up.
can anyone please help as our 2 and a half year old daughter has fallen asleep on the settee AGAIN waiting for daddy to come home and its absolutely breaking my heart that he's being forced to do this!
thanks and so sorry for the rant
xxxxx

ohreally

superlauren321 wrote: »

some people have said to me that the legal maximum is 60 hours a week but im having difficulty backing this up.

I'm not sure why your having difficulty as there is a wealth of info out there on the working time regs...
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/WorkingHoursAndTimeOff/DG_10029426
http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/workingtimedirective.htm

superlauren321 wrote: »

this is a well known national company who have before made him work 16 days in a row without a day off.

Is there a trade union who can take this forward on his behalf?

LittleVoice

There is no general legal maximum. However he has the right to give notice to withdraw his opt out from working more than an average of 48 hours/week.

What sort of work does he do?

LeeSouthEast

You need google no further than "European Working Time Directive"

getmore4less

Name the company.

Working time directive covers some of the law

What does the contact say?

ohreally

LeeSouthEast wrote: »

You need google no further than "European Working Time Directive"

It's the working time regulations. The working time directive (93/104/93) was an edict from Brussels to the member states to enact in it's legislation.

jazzyman01

You could come at it from a number of directions. First the working time directive allows the individual to limit their hours to a maximum of 48. Even where they have opted out they can give notice to opt back in again.
In addition there are rights to have 11 hours uninterupted break and an additional 24 hours every 7 days.
He can also say no because of health and safety reasons. Feeling tired, possibility of injury etc and if he puts this in writing stating the hours that he has worked it should wake them up a bit. If he words it ie willing to help the Company out as can be seen by the attached list of hours worked but I am concerned for my health/safety as the recent spell of 16 days without a break left me particularly tired.
Its then registered and if it continues he can raise a grievance stating he has been pressurised to work longer hours than he feels safe to do.

floss2

Don't forget that an average number of hours will need to be determined over a rolling 17 week period.... And this might help work out rest entitlements

jazzyman01

Need to check whether there is an agreement within the Company that would change the rolling 17 week period as that is the fall back position where nothing else is agreed.

vaporate

I always assumed it was 40 hours per week, 8 hours a day.

I wouldn't work more than that. You need a life too.

floss2

jazzyman01 wrote: »

Need to check whether there is an agreement within the Company that would change the rolling 17 week period as that is the fall back position where nothing else is agreed.

I always understood that the 17 week rolling reference period was categoric & not subject to any change or amendment?