Candidates clash on working hours

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European election candidates in Scotland have clashed over whether to do away with the European Working Time Directive.

Tory candidate Struan Stevenson's call for the 48 hour working week rule to be binned has been echoed by the Liberal Democrats' George Lyon.

David Martin, Labour candidate in the June election, said it was wrong to "force" people to work long hours.

The SNP's Alyn Smith said working times should not be set in Brussels.

The comments came as the candidates debated the issue on BBC Scotland's Politics Show.

'Socialist idea'

The UK opt-out from the European Working Time Directive will remain in place, after attempts by the European Parliament to phase it out over three years failed.

Westminster ministers have strenuously defended their position, arguing workers should be able to choose how many hours they put in.

Mr Martin, who denied being "off-message" with his party, said: "The evidence is, and the European Commission has gathered a lot, is that people are not actually being given the opportunity to opt out if they wish - and that's where we have a difference on how we deal with that situation."

He said: "Individuals who have autonomous control over their working environment - lawyers doctors for example, are not covered by the directive.

"It's people like security guards, shop workers and so on who, its routinely demanded of them that they work more than 48 hours a week."

Mr Stevenson raised concern that, under the directive, junior doctors would spend their time providing on-call cover and would not be able to train as surgeons.

He dismissed the directive as "a Labour socialist idea", adding: "It's their initiative to try to force people to work a 48-hour week and that is just ludicrous."

"Freedom of choice is what we stand for as Conservatives. The best way to ensure we retain the opt-out - because they will try and bring it back after the election - the best way is to get rid of Labour MEPs."

Directive 'nonsense'

Elspeth Attwool, elected as Scotland's sole Lib Dem MEP in 2004, voted against the right to keep the opt out, against her party's policy.

But Mr Lyon said it was for her to explain her position, adding: "The big issue here is the impact it's having on rural firefighters, on rural health services and indeed, the right of farmers to work as many hours as they want.

"This has a huge impact on rural services because, at the end of the day, while it may be possible to re-design services to cope with the directive - the example of Bute, where I live, instead of 20 part-time firefighters we'd need to go to a service with 70 full-time employees.

"I don't think that's affordable given the economic background and the desperate state of the public finances due to Gordon Brown's recession."

Mr Smith said a great deal of nonsense had been spoken about the directive, arguing that it should be up to individual countries to decide on the issue.

"The priority for the SNP is, how are we going to best deliver public services in Scotland and how are we best going to protect the rights of workers - and I don't believe the working time directive as it was in front of us was going to actually do that," he said.

Mr Smith acknowledged the SNP's support for a 48 hour working week for junior doctors, but added: "It's growing legs and it's applying to different bits of the economy and it works for some, it doesn't work for others."