Britain’s decision to opt out of European Union (EU) rules on laws curbing long working hours is set to come under attack by the European Parliament next week.

Spanish socialist MEP Alejandro Cercas, is expected to submit a report to the parliament’s employment and social affairs committee to call for an end to the opt-out, which allows employers to ask staff to work an average of more than 48 hours a week.

European Commission proposals published in December recommended that the opt-out be retained, but under stricter conditions allowing unions the right to veto long working hours by individual staff.

Lewis Sidnick, employment policy adviser at the British Chambers of Commerce, believes that removing the opt-out would affect the UK economy.

“Losing the opt-out will erode the UK’s competitive edge and fly in the face of EU objectives to boost growth and improve competitiveness,” Sidnick said.

However Derek Simpson, general secretary of private sector Amicus, has called for an end to the opt-out.

Simpson said: “More than 4m people in Britain still work over 48 hours a week and one in five UK workers works more than 60 hours a week yet we know that working excessive hours is bad for workers’ health, their family life and it is bad for business.”