Working Hours Cap Protects Us All

The Leader today carries a reply that I wrote to a letter from John Bufton the UKIP MEP wanting to keep the UK opt out on the working time directive.

May I respond to John Bufton the UKIP MEPs letter in support of retaining an opt out for the UK in the working time regulations.

Firstly he says this is an infringement of our right to chose. In practice however workers have very little choice in the current employment climate, if they don’t sign an opt out they don’t get the job. Some choice.

Also he maintains that it would be a disaster for medical staff. If I receive medical treatment I would hope that it was not at the end of a long shift. Anyone who has worked long shifts for any period of time knows how tiring they can be and it would seam to me that this is the last place that on opt out should be encouraged. However if UKIP get their way it is unlikely we would have any health service left, for if we left the EU and lost all our skilled workers from those EU countries there would be very few services left and I believe many British born workers would be trying to leave the country too. The EU has protected workers rights across Europe but successive British governments have opted out of this legislation. The result of this has been that multi-nationals looking to make cuts have made them here first. That is why I believe we should have no more opt outs, no more loopholes for exploitation.

Wales need to kick out the politicians that have allowed the free market to run unchecked into this present economic crisis All the Westminster parties have let us down and so would UKIP. What we need now is a strong Wales in a strong Europe.

The various European treaties finally mean that as well as being subjects of the Queen we finally became citizens of Europe with rights. Lets hope that one day we will also be citizens of Wales.