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EU Court: Commuting to Customer Sites Counts as Work

Posted by Soulskill on from the even-if-you-just-have-to-turn-their-computer-off-and-on-again dept.

Joe_Dragon writes with news that the European Court of Justice has issued a ruling (PDF) saying that workers who have to commute to see customers, but don't have a "fixed or habitual place of work," must have their transit time at the beginning and end of the day count as working time. In other words, driving to your normal office every day doesn't count toward your paycheck, but leaving home in the morning to go visit a client or customer at your employer's request does. This added commute time also counts toward weekly labor limits — EU regulations for working conditions prohibit employers from making their employees work more than 48 hours a week on average. The court said, Given that traveling is an integral part of being such a worker, the place of work of that worker cannot be reduced to the physical areas of his work on the premises of the employer’s customers. 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.

11 of 241 comments (clear)

  1. This subject is work. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Seems fair.

    It is nice to see some more protections for workers, but is this all?

    I don't think I'm missing some important change that will come from this, aside pissy employers ranting.

    1. Re:This subject is work. by sectokia · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Like all other worker rights, it will just mean slightly lower pay rises over the next few years as the employers recover the costs.

    2. Re:This subject is work. by knightghost · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What it means is that business processes will change because they finally have to pay for another part of "work" rather than get it for free.

    3. Re: This subject is work. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Funny how companies want to bill you for travel time for on site services and yet they think you should travel to work for free.

      The real welfare queens in our society are employers, and always have been.

    4. Re:This subject is work. by fgouget · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Like all other worker rights, it will just mean slightly lower pay rises over the next few years as the employers recover the costs.

      You're assuming every business will be affected equally. In reality most businesses will be totally unaffected while the few businesses that were abusing this (house cleaning companies for instance, maybe not the example you were expecting) will finally have to compensate their employees correctly, and probably won't be able to compensate just by freezing the salaries for a few years (e.g. because of minimum wage laws).

  2. This is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...exactly like it should be.

  3. Makes perfect sense by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Without this it's possible for someone to spend 80 hours working during the week and only get paid for half that much or less. When someone is following their employer's instructions and carrying out their job duties they're at work and on the clock, it's that simple. Someone who works principally in an office and travels irregularly occasionally has to deal with a special situation. Someone whose principal employment involves travelling to and from various job sites should have that travel counted as part of their work day.

    --
    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
  4. Logical by Ecuador · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you know your place of employment, commuting is up to you - you can live close by if you prefer. But if you have to go where your employer tells you every day, commuting is on them.

    --
    Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
  5. Makes perfect sense to me... by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm sorry, did a court just make a completely reasonable ruling that makes total sense and is fair to all involved?

    Gosh, what has this world come to?

    If I call up my employee and say, "hey, I need you to go to XYZ customer's office and do ABC", then clearly from that point until they get back to where they were (home), they are "on the clock".

    I honestly can't imagine doing it any other way, maybe I'm weird?

  6. Re:Self inflicted damage by Calydor · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You are so right!

    Let us abolish vacation time, sick time, maternity leave, weekends, nights, and all those other ridiculous "personal" things.

    The moment you are done with your education you are a worker drone and need to work 24/7/365 for the rest of your life with no compensation other than the most basic necessities to not die TOO quickly.

    Worker's rights? Hell no, those are anti-capitalistic!

    --
    -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
  7. Re:I interviewed for a job they not paying mileage by Fire_Wraith · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They claim that, but here's the difference.

    When I go into the office I regularly work in, it's my choice where I live. I can choose to live an hour away if I want, or five minutes away. Now, there may be other tradeoffs in that, but it's my choice.

    On the other hand, if I'm being sent to different customer/client sites, then I really can't choose to live closer or farther from work. I live where I live, and they require me to travel there as part of my duties.