The European Commission this week proposed to extend existing laws

Date: 19/11/1998

limiting the working week to 48 hours to the 5 million EU employees excluded when the first EU laws governing working time were agreed in 1993. The new proposals cover truck drivers, junior doctors and maritime and railway workers, and envisage phasing in the maximum 48-hour week over seven years in certain sectors. The ceiling would be based on average working time measured over several months, rather than a blanket ban on working more than 48 hours in any one week.