Britain's long hours culture is not working, Patricia Hewitt has warned.

The trade and industry secretary told the Work Foundation on Wednesday that the UK's employees work the longest hours in Europe and yet achieve some of the lowest levels of productivity.

The cabinet minister said that closing the productivity gap would be a more effective use of employees.

She outlined the government's vision of how the labour force will develop over the next decade and highlighted the fact an aging population means firms must tackle head-on the issue of age discrimination.

Hewitt called for greater participation from the workforce in decision-making. She said there is a need for a new model for co-operation between bosses and their workers but it should not necessarily be the EU or US model but what is "right" for Britain".

TUC general secretary, John Monks, backed the minister's comments but warned change would only be achieved by implementing EU rules.

"This is an encouraging vision of the labour market for the next decade. Patricia Hewitt is right to want to tackle the long hours culture but government needs to recognise this will only be achieved through a mix of regulation and culture change. Proper implementation of the working time directive is critical and the goal should be that no employee works more than an average 48 hour week."