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South East MEP Sharon Bowles supports self-employed lorry drivers' right to decide working hours

3.15.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 22nd Jun 2010

Sharon Bowles MEP

Last week the European Parliament voted in favour of the inclusion of self-employed lorry drivers in the Working Time Directive's 48 hour working week.

Those in favour of the inclusion have cited road safety as the main reason. However, those opposed believe that current safety measures are sufficient; the tachograph - a device which monitors how many hours a lorry has been on the move, and the Operating License required by all lorry drivers.

This week, The Federation of Small Businesses and the European Small Business Alliance announced its plan to publish a letter in opposition to the inclusion of self-employed lorry drivers in the Working Time Directive.

Sharon Bowles said:

"I do not believe it is wise for the European Parliament to determine how many hours a self-employed lorry driver can work.

"As pointed out by the FSB this week, the inclusion of self-employed lorry drivers in the Working Time Directive's 48 hour working week could put a stop to one person haulage businesses at a time when small businesses are suffering the effects of recession.

"I support the FSB's position on this and have signed their letter calling on the European Commission to return this issue to the European Parliament for further consideration."

ENDS

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Previous news story: Euro MP wins battle for bankers' bonuses and pension pots to be performance-linked (Tue 15th Jun 2010).
Next news story: Support for the Kent Freedom Pass for the over 60s (Fri 25th Jun 2010).

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