1.  
   Patch from Birmingham says:

   Aug 11, 22:41

   Every other member State of the European Union are party to the European Working Time Directive.The UK won an exemption which effectively gave employers the ability to force employees to opt out of rights enjoyed throughout Europe. The Media presented this as a victory for the Government, and do you know what? Thanks to the tabloids a majority of workers agreed with them. Brown has just done someting similar with the new European Treaty. I despair of the gullibility of the working class. If only they understood their power.

   Do we work too many hours?

   Yes
2.  
   Genius from Herts says:

   Aug 3, 18:44

   if you think you work too many hours it's cos you let it turn out like that (ie chose to work long hours for a living). Sure there are alternatives that the open to everyone, I mean, theoretically everyone who hates their job and their situation is free to give up work & live off the state, the difference is, you choose not to. And you chose not to qualify for a well paid job/find a well paid partner, in addition to overburdening yourself with financial commitments. You really do have a choice! If you hate this country and it's long hours culture, it's only because we let it happen. Emigrate! There's far nicer places to live in!

   Do we work too many hours?

   Yes
3.  
   Marie from Staffordshire says:

   Aug 3, 14:54

   From the age of 16 I worked 60 hours a week, I married at 18 and thanks to my divorce settlement of £3000 at 25, I bought a house. To pay for this house I had to in crease my work load to 105 hours a week. I worked from 6am to 6pm then from 7pm to 10pm, with 2 jobs without a day off in 5 years! Eventually I had a nervous breakdown and left my home, jobs and family, and went to live in Wales for 3 years. I got another job which was less than 35hrs a week, and rented a flat. I moved back to Staffordshire recently to find if I had kept my house I would have made £40,000 equity. Unhappy? Yes, but my own health was more important to me so I have no regrets. I just get angry with students moaning about their debts, when they are going to earn huge salaries, and "dole dossers" who get to buy housing paid for by their dole cheques, at discounted rates I might add, when people like me lose their homes, and try to claim benefits for two weeks and get told, "well you are a worker, you will be employed again in no time." So does the system do enough to get these layabouts to work? Or do they expect people like me to do 3 times more work to support them?
   If I keep going the way I have been, I will be dead before I get my pension.....maybe this will go some way to help the pensions crisis.

   Do we work too many hours?

   Yes
4.  
   tiger from ashton, england says:

   Aug 3, 11:46

   Well, what a daft question, do we work to many hours? HUH, kids do
   not leave school untill 16yrs, then they PLAY at college, then they wander off to UNi and borrow vast sums of money with which they give them selves little treats like holidays, laptop Comp's,(a must they say) then they take time out to go wandering round the worl playing yet again,which then entails writing,phoning, or an E/M to parents who are already stressed out hoping they are safe, Mummy,im desperate, i@ve had my money lost, stolen, the machines over here won't let me get at my cash (spent it).
   The moral of this letter is they do not start work until they are about 25/30 then they come back home for nothing (dad, we have to help, he/she wants to buy a house)
   Of course they should work long hours, their parents had to too give them there lifestyle.

   Do we work too many hours?

   No
5.  
   SNH from Norfolk says:

   Jul 31, 21:23

   There are no 'safe' jobs in the magistracy.
   We work overtime to complete daily tasks, so we can start again tomorrow.
   Reduction in staff means that there is more work to complete with fewer people.
   With amalgamation of county/crown and magistrates courts there are even pay cuts.
   No joke.
   We mark time until we retire.
   No cost of living rise either.
   Why, because they re-grade jobs and tell you that you are not worth the money that you were.
   They dont tell you the number of workers they take on as 'manager' on bigger wages.
   Some people dont deserve loyalty.

   Do we work too many hours?

   Yes

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