EU workers work an average of 40 hours a week |
France, Italy and Spain have banned changes to EU working time rules as no date has been set to end the UK's opt-out from the 48-hour week.
Ministers from the 25 EU countries were discussing a proposal to reduce the maximum number of hours people can work each week to 60 hours even after opting out.
It contained only vague language stating that the opt-out would be abolished in the future.
But the lack of agreement means plans to exclude doctors' “inactive” on-call time from working hours have collapsed.
The BBC's Tim Franks in Brussels said all EU member states felt it was a huge burden.
For Britain's National Health Service, government officials estimate it will cost around £200 million (€300 million) a year.
prosecution
Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla said he would begin prosecuting countries that inherently violate the directive due to policies regarding doctors' on-call hours or for other reasons.
“We need to be logical… if a country doesn't respect the treaty, we have to file a case against it,” he said.
“We should act as soon as possible.”
Currently, only two member states are reported to be fully compliant.
The UK could be at the forefront as the country that has most fiercely resisted the revised directive over the past two-and-a-half years.
opt-out line
The European Working Time Directive guarantees workers at least four weeks of paid annual leave, a minimum of 11 hours of rest every 24 hours, at least one day of rest per week, and a break if the working day exceeds six hours. ing.
It also states that night workers must work an average of up to eight hours every 24 hours and has the right to medical examinations.
Britain has fought moves to end opt-outs on the grounds that labor market flexibility boosts economic growth and reduces unemployment.
Five countries, including France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Cyprus, argue that opting out would harm workers' health and give the UK a competitive advantage.
In the past, many more countries have opposed the UK's opt-out.
But at Tuesday's meeting, a majority accepted a compromise proposed by Finland, the current EU president, to keep the opt-out in place but set new limits on its use.
Finnish proposal
Under Finland's proposal, the absolute maximum working hours for those using the opt-out would be reduced from 78 hours to 60 hours.
They would also have scheduled a review of the opt-out with a view to a “phased exit” at a later date.
Before the meeting, the UK was prepared to accept Finland's offer, provided that the absolute maximum working week was set at 65 or 70 hours and there were legal safeguards to prevent the courts from overturning the opt-out. There were reports that it may have been.
Some occupations, such as company executives and emergency personnel, would still have been exempt.
Under Finland's proposal, workers' 48-hour work week would be averaged over a reference period of up to 12 months, but the exact period would be set by national governments.
This would have allowed most employers operating in markets with seasonal peaks to avoid violations.
If opt-out is used, the maximum working hours will be 60 hours on average over a three-month period.
