The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is warning against imposing statutory restrictions on maximum working hours after the European Parliament voted against Britain’s opt out from the Working Time Directive.

Mike Emmott, CIPD’s employee relations adviser, says it should be down to employers and employees to work towards a better work-life balance rather than forcing them to stick to a 48-hour working week.

“The CIPD opposes long working hours but believes that a healthy work-life balance is best achieved through better work organisation and progressive people management.

“Good employers do not make their staff work longer hours, but business demands may occasionally arise, requiring employees to put in extra hours.

“Additionally, the removal of this flexibility neglects to recognise that employees may value the freedom of choosing whether to work more hours or not. The overall fall in working hours since 2000 shows that the current legislative framework on working hours is an appropriate one.”

This is “not the final nail in the coffin though”, says Emmott, as the opt-out will remain until 2012 in any case and there are further rounds of negotiations to be had with the employment ministers of the various EU countries.

“We urge the government to remain firm and retain this opt-out to protect the long-term flexibility of the UK labour market,” he adds.