Labour Standards for the Improved Well-Being research alliance

Increasing flexibility and technological development will make the regulation of working hours a significant issue, that will face increasing problems in practice. The European Commission’s much-debated Working Time Directive and national provisions such as the German working hours act (Arbeitszeitgesetz, ArbZG) provide the legal framework. While health and safety laws commonly set general and minimum standards, working hour regulations often require negotiation on an individual and collective basis. This raises a number of empirical questions concerning the creation and content of agreed standards in a European context.