Ministerial attempts to encourage a better work-life balance are being hit by the government's own EU working time directive opt out, the TUC has said.

Publishing a new report with the Working Families charity on Friday, the trade union group claimed that the exemption from the maximum 48 hour working week is damaging families.

Stakeholder Response: Institute of Directors

Richard Wilson, business policy executive at the Institute of Directors, said: "Generally speaking, the UK does not have a 'long hours' culture. According to Labour Market Trends, average actual weekly hours of work for full time workers has fallen from 38.7 in 1995 to 37.4 in 2003. So on average, full time workers are working less than 40 hours a week and the trend is towards a shorter working week. Moreover, from an international perspective, the UK has an 'average hours' culture. For example, while the typical full time worker in the UK puts in more hours than his counterpart in France, he puts in less than his compatriot in the USA.

"Contrary to the TUC's impression, employers are already encouraging more flexible working arrangements. A survey of IoD members showed that 53 per cent of directors enable their employees to have flexible working hours and 46 per cent allow their employees to work from home. These are positive developments: they allow employees to marry their commitment to work and home life and they enable businesses to operate efficiently. UK employers will continue to support measures that enable employees to work flexibly, without prejudicing their business's competitiveness."

Stakeholder Response: 4Children