WikiIn news that all workers everywhere will rejoice at, the European Court of Justice has claimed that the time we spend going to and from work should actually count as part of our working day.
The ECJ have claimed that workers who do not have a fixed office should be able to charge for the time that their journey going to and from appointments at the beginning and end of each day lasts.
This is all because of the ‘health and safety’ of workers, and comes from a case in Spain involving a security systems company, Tyco, and is based around the European Union’s Working Time Directive.
ShutterstockThat means that should companies employing workers such as gas fitters, electricians, care workers and sales reps decide to abandon a regional office, they could be in breach of the EU regulations.
This is what the ECJ had to say in full:
The fact that the workers begin and finish the journeys at their homes stems directly from the decision of their employer to abolish the regional offices and not from the desire of the workers themselves.
Requiring them to bear the burden of their employer’s choice would be contrary to the objective of protecting the safety and health of workers pursued by the directive, which includes the necessity of guaranteeing workers a minimum rest period.
