Since 1993, the authorities of about half of the EU countries have granted citizens the right to work more than 48 hours per week, as set by EU rules. To do this, a special agreement with the employer must be signed. From 2012, the use of such a scheme in the EU will become illegal.
The UK government, which allows its citizens to increase working hours, intends to challenge the European Parliament's decision. British Labor Minister Pat McFadden said: "The freedom to choose the length of the working day has been successfully working in the UK." According to McFadden, the government will defend this freedom.
In turn, as reported by Lenta.ru, the decision to cancel overtime work was met with loud approval from European trade unions.