Working Time Directive
Publicity Line
CFOA considers that removal of the 'opt-out' clause from the current working time directive will have significant and adverse impact on the ability of FRS to maintain their current levels of retained firefighters.
Retained firefighters are used to provide emergency response cover for 91% of the UK's total land mass and are therefore an essential means by which to protect communities.
England 
|
Wales
|
Scotland
|
Northern Ireland
|
-
Continue discussions with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), to ensure that the implications of the removal of the ‘opt out' clause within the Working Time Directive for the FRS are made clear to MEPs and EU Member States. The ‘opt out' clause currently allows employees to work in excess of 48 hours per week.
-
Continue to communicate to stakeholders that there is potential for an absolute application of a maximum 48 hour working week to impact on the ability and capacity of the Fire and Rescue Service to deliver all aspects of their emergency response capability, specifically in those areas where emergency response is provided by firefighters working the retained duty system (RDS)
-
Work to ensure that stakeholders understand that the vast majority of RDS firefighters have other employment (their primary employment) and that an aggregation of working hours for their primary employer and the fire and rescue service could exceed 48 hours in any week and therefore RDS firefighters would be unable to respond to emergency calls or undertake other work
