From tomorrow (1 August), the EU Working Time Directive will be extended to those sectors previously excluded from working time measures.
The Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2003 extend protection to cover non-mobile workers in road, sea, inland waterways and lake transport, workers in the railway and offshore sectors, and workers in aviation transport.
Junior doctors will be covered by the Working Time Directive in 2004.
The IoD's Parliamentary and European Affairs Adviser, James Walsh, said: "The extension of the Working Time Directive is yet another blow to UK competitiveness. The EU is supposed to be aiming to be the most competitive economy in the world by 2010. Piling extra burdens onto businesses will make it even harder to achieve that objective."
Details of the Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2003 and general guidance can be found on the DTI website.
