The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7319 p453
2 October 2004

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

  Acrobat Reader

News summary

European work rules for on-call time to be changed

European law is to be changed so that time spent idle while on call will no longer be considered to be working time.

Currently, European Court rulings on the Working Time Directive mean that all time spent by pharmacists or hospital doctors on call at a workplace counts as working time even if they are asleep in a rest room. Employees are not allowed to work for more than an average of 48 hours a week over any four-month period.

The European Commission says: “European Court interpretations of existing Community law are binding on all member states. Most member states need to adapt their national law as a result of these rulings.”

It is the absence of a definition of on-call time in the directive that led to these rulings, which significantly affect the health sector.