Working Time regulations implementation should be postponed because of swine flu implications
By David Woods Wednesday, 29 July 2009
The Working Time Directive should be suspended in light of the swine flu pandemic, according to a legal expert.
Further Reading
- Flu costs the British economy £1.35 billion
- The CIPD has accused employers of relaxing their guard over swine flu
- Swine flu: Local councils are failing in their duty to help small firms prepare for an epidemic
- Forcing swine flu vaccinations on staff could be a legal minefield for employers
- Swine flu: Employers prepared to close their premises to stop spread of virus
- Swine flu: A quarter of employers not fully prepared for changes to sickness self-certification
- Doctors can be an exception to the Working Time rules
- Swine flu won't affect doctors' implementation of Working Time rules, says NHS Employers
- 47,000 jobs to be created for young people as part of the Government's Future Jobs Fund
- Government must help SMEs cope with swine flu, says Federation of Small Businesses
- British Chambers of Commerce to host swine flu interactive web seminar
- Swine flu mass staff absence could relieve companies of their contractual obligations
- Swine flu call-centre to open in London offering 800 temporary jobs - including HR roles
- Swine flu absence set to cost business £8.6 billion
- Swine flu: Employers could face fines for not protecting staff from the virus
- CIPD backs plans to allow staff with swine flu to self-certificate for up to 14 days
- Health and wellbeing: Healthcare provision - Healthy competition
- One in 10 employers still not prepared for swine flu
- Don't panic over swine flu, TUC boss warns
Due to the pressure on the NHS to treat the rising number of people with the swine flu virus, Contanza Hewson, partner at law firm Eversheds, believes the Working Time Directive, due to come into effect on 1 August, should be postponed.
The directive means doctors' working hours are due to be reduced from a maximum of 56 hours per week to 48 hours.
But Hewson said: "Concerns had been expressed for many years that entrusting healthcare to overworked and tired practitioners was inappropriate and should not be a practice allowed to continue. But, that the sizeable further reduction in doctors' working hours should come at a time when the country is facing a likely flu epidemic is an unfortunate coincidence to say the least.
"The reality of lower working hours for doctors may yet prove unachievable."
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