Working time regulations will hinder entrepreneurship warns the FSB

Ahead of a vote in the European Parliament on Wednesday 16 June, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is concerned that MEPs are about to set a dangerous precedent by regulating the working time of self-employed heavy goods vehicle drivers, which could threaten entrepreneurship across Europe.

In a plenary meeting of the European Parliament, MEPs are set to vote on restricting the working hours of independent hauliers across Europe to 48 hours per week. These changes will mean that independent drivers will have to include driving, maintenance, admin, loading and unloading within their hours. Currently, they can drive for 45 hours per week on average without having to include the other activities.

A faction of MEPs believe that regulation will improve safety and while the FSB does not question the importance of improving road safety, it believes that through ignoring existing solutions like the tachograph and hauliers compliance with the strict rules of their Operating Licenses, that the changes will threaten entrepreneurship throughout the European Union.

The FSB is concerned that this could set a dangerous precedent for the working hours of self-employed people across all business sectors and will directly contradict efforts made at EU level to promote entrepreneurship, economic growth and job creation.

Tina Sommer, EU and International Affairs Chairman at the Federation of Small Businesses, said:

“The FSB is calling for MEPs to support entrepreneurship and vote against inclusion of self-employed hauliers in the working time directive. Advocates of the inclusion cite road safety as the main reason. However, there are already two strong measures to guarantee road safety: the tachograph and the vital need for the self-employed to keep their Operating License.

“Rest and driving times are monitored through the vehicle’s tachograph and within those boundaries, the freedom to manage your own time as a self-employed person is sacrosanct and must not be subjected to interference.

“We are concerned that this vote could pave the way for working time rules to be set for other business sectors and contradict efforts made at an EU level to promote entrepreneurship, economic growth and job creation.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. The FSB is the UK’s leading business organisation with over 213,000 members. It exists to protect and promote the interests of the self-employed, and all those who run their own business. More information is available at www.fsb.org.uk

2. This is a national release; additional information may be available on a regional basis. For regional FSB contacts please go to www.fsb.org.uk/regions

Contacts

Stephen Alambritis: 020 7592 8112/ 07788 422155
Eric Beech: 020 7592 8128/ 07917 628998 eric.beech@fsb.org.uk
Prue Watson: 020 7592 8121/ 07825 125695 prue.watson@fsb.org.uk
Sara Lee: 020 7592 8113/ 07595 067068 sara.lee@fsb.org.uk