The Greens had proposed the objection due to concerns the proposed increase in flight times would lead to more strenuous working conditions for pilots, with the associated safety risks for passengers and other staff.

Ms Lambert said: “I am very disappointed that MEPs decided to believe the last-minute assurances of the Commission and accept these proposals to increase maximum flight times . At the very least, we should have delayed a decision until we could see the deal in writing, as the Greens proposed.

“There are serious concerns about the implications of the Commission’s proposal for pilots and cockpit personnel, both in terms of employment rights and the safety risks associated with longer flight times and more stressful flying schedules.

“Ignoring these concerns may put lives at risk – we know that pilots rest conditions raise concerns already.”

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The Greens had proposed the objection due to concerns the proposed increase in flight times would lead to more strenuous working conditions for pilots, with the associated safety risks for passengers and other staff.

Ms Lambert said: “I am delighted members of the the Transport Committee have listened to the Greens and voted to ground these ill-judged proposals.

“We now hope the proposed rejection will be supported by a majority of MEPs when the plenary votes as a whole.

“There are serious concerns about the implications of the Commission’s proposal for pilots and cockpit personnel, both in terms of employment rights and the safety risks associated with longer flight times and more stressful flying schedules.

“Ignoring these concerns will put lives at risk – we know that pilots are being forced to sleep on the job already.”

She added: “The draft legislative act includes provisions allowing pilots to land aircraft after being awake for 22 hours, as well as to allow pilots to work seven early starts in a row rather than the current three.

“There are already well-documented cases of overworked, exhausted pilots falling asleep in the cockpit, so it is incredible that the Commission wants to make them fly even longer.

“Major concerns have been raised by pilots’ unions and other stakeholders and we hope the EP as whole recognises these concerns and sends the Commission back to the drawing-board.”

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Negotiations between the European Parliament and the European Council – the last of which were held last night – have failed to reach a compromise position on the Working Time Directive. The European Parliament voted to end the UK’s opt-out from the Directive in December 2008, but after weeks of negotiations the UK Government has refused to back down.

The Directive, which is intended to protect workers’ health and safety, limits working time to 48 hours per week on average over a 12 month period and MEPs want the opt-out from the Directive phased out over three years.

Nearly five million people in the UK regularly do unpaid overtime, on average completing £4,955 worth of free work a year and more than half of British workers say they have experienced symptoms of overwork and burnout. Indirect results of long hours include tiredness on the roads, with symptoms of stress and fatigue often worse than being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Reducing the UK’s long hours could also help to solve other health problems such as excessive alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and obesity.

In her report I Must Work Harder? Britain and the Working Time Directive, London Green MEP, Jean Lambert, argues that excessive working hours puts workers’ mental and physical health at risk, as well as endangering those around them.

Commenting on the negotiations, Jean Lambert MEP, who is a Member of the European Parliament’s Employment Committee, said:

“The Council’s behaviour is deeply frustrating. It’s disgraceful that the UK Labour Government, a party with its roots in fighting for workers’ rights, has fought to reduce protection for workers in this instance and left them open to exploitation by employers.

“To use the recession as an alibi is merely a smokescreen, since they have never had any intention of losing the opt-out. Parliament has offered compromises in half a dozen meetings over the last few weeks, but an intransigent Council refused to even consider them and stayed behind a red line of never ending the opt-out. This was despite Parliament offering a solution, for example, for a definition of on-call time for emergency services that would have ended the need for the opt-out.

“Greens support the European Parliament position for a maximum of a 48 hour average working week. This Directive already provides a good degree of flexibility for both workers and employers, while respecting the health and safety of workers and the general public.

“There should be no opt-outs on health and safety legislation. These opt-outs also create an unacceptable situation where EU countries compete on labour standards, reducing protection for workers in the long term.”

Notes to Editors

Member States opposed to compromise: UK, Germany, Malta, Estonia, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Poland.

Jean Lambert’s report I Must Work Harder? Britain and the Working Time Directive is available to download here.

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Jean, who has is a member of the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee and last year released her report  ‘I must work harder? Britain and the Working Time Directive’, today said; “The Working Time Directive is in place to ensure that those people in particularly stressful jobs get the rest breaks they deserve and in the case of ambulance crews ensure they do not make vital medical mistakes so often bought on by tiredness.

“Indirect causes of long hours, such as tiredness on the roads, are particularly damaging with symptoms of stress and fatigue often worse than being under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  We do however have to put saving lives before having a cup of tea. “

London’s Green MEP Jean Lambert continued, “There is nothing in the Working Time Directive that says employers and their staff can not modify the terms and conditions to suit the career they are in. The issue here is not to undermine the Directive but to ask why there were not enough ambulance crews available to cover all breaks and emergencies that day.”

ENDS

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Jean launched her report, ‘Flexible working: A Work Life Balance or a balancing act?’ and called for the labour market to reflect the principles of sustainable development and social justice.

Download report here: Flexible Working

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