Organisation of working time: sectors and activities excluded from the directive 93/104/EC. White paper

The Directive on working time does not apply to the following sectors: transport, sea fisheries, other work at sea, doctors in training or the self-employed. In adopting the report by Mr Raphael CHANTERIE (PPE, B) on the exclusion of these sectors from the scope of Directive 93/14/EC, Parliament expressed the view that all workers, including the 5 million working in the excluded sectors, should enjoy social protection with regard to working time. In Parliament's opinion, non-mobile workers should enjoy the full protection of the Directive on working time. Moreover, mobile workers should enjoy full protection in relation to working hours under the Directive or specific legislation providing at least the same level of occupational safety as the original Directive, in order to guarantee non-discrimination between workers. Appropriate provisions should be adopted to take account of the characteristics peculiar to the sectors and activities concerned, in particular, road-haulage drivers' non-driving time, the daily rest periods and breaks from work of flight crew, staff on trains and on-call duties of doctors in training. Parliament called on the social partners, the Commission and the Council to give priority to safeguarding workers' health and safety and welcomed the agreements already being negotiated. It asked the Commission in particular to submit, by the end of 1998, a proposal to amend Directive 93/14/EC. Parliament drew attention to the direct link between safety and working time in the transport sector for both workers and passengers, as well as for the environment. It called for an amendment of Regulation (EEC) No 3820/85 on harmonisation of social provisions in the field of transport to take account of the objective of reducing driving time. New talks should begin between employers and workers in the fishing industry with a view to including them in the Working Time Directive. Parliament called for stepping up of checks and harmonisation of penalties in the interests of effective action against excessive working time.�