47. Calls on the EU to make a strong commitment to working-time reduction, without lowering wages, in order to create jobs and increase productivity; calls, therefore, on the Commission to withdraw its proposal for the revision of the Working Time Directive; calls on the Member States to coordinate efforts to gradually reduce working time by 2010, and stresses the short-term objective of a 35-hour week; considers that the reduction of working time without lowering wages should be seen as an aim in itself and a measure of societal wellbeing;

34. Calls on the EU for a strong commitment to working-time reduction, without lowering wages, to create new employment and increase productivity; calls, therefore, on the Commission to withdraw its proposal on the revision of the Working Time Directive; calls on Member States to coordinate efforts to gradually reduce working time by 2010 and stresses the short-term objective of a 35-hour week; considers that the reduction of working time, without lowering wages, should be seen as an aim in itself and a measure of societal well being;

The definition of ‘week’ provided in this Regulation should not prevent drivers from starting their working week on any day of the week.

a maximum average working week of 48 hours, including overtime, over 7 days.

It is also necessary in this context to place a maximum limit on weekly working hours.

This means that in company accounts it will only be possible to marry large-scale recruitment with a reduction in working hours if the company reduces the cost to it of labour that has previously been recruited by reducing pay or the social contributions which bump up pay, or both, or if it achieves significantly higher productivity as a result of the reorganization of the working process necessitated by the reduction in working hours.