Consultation on greater protection for young workers

The government has this month announced a consultation on proposals to introduce greater protection for young people in the workplace.

The proposals under the Young Workers Directive relate to the working hours of those between minimum school leaving age and their eighteenth birthday. Their working time would be limited to:

* 40 hours a week

* eight hours in any one day; and

* night working prohibited between 10pm - 6am or 11pm - 7am.

According to the latest official Labour Force survey statistics (March to May 2001) there are around 34,000 young people (out of 575,000) in the UK aged between 16 and 17 who work more than 40 hours a week. Young workers currently have the same protections and rights as adults under the Working Time Directive.

The consultation will run for 12 weeks. Copies of the Consultation Document can be obtained from DTI, Employment Relations Directorate, Room UG83, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET or from the DTI website at www.dti.gov.uk/er/work_time_regs