Press conference, 19th of April 2005, Brussel.
I do not know any reason for regulation of the working time at the level of European Union. Every regulation that restricts or even restrains free agreement between employee and employer, decreases employment rate and competitive advantage. Some member countries have got strict working time regulation and handicap their companies and workers.

MEP: Philip Bushill-Matthews (left) and Milan Cabrnoch

Instead of liberalization their own legislation, these countries are trying to make by means of EU regulation the business conditions in other member countries worse. They describe often liberal entrepreneurial environment as social dumping.

I fully agree with Commission's proposal not to include the inactive part of on-call time into maximum weekly working time. Inclusion of whole on-call time into the working time can cause artificial demand of other employees. In the Czech Republic there would be shortage of a few thousands of physicians in hospital care. This need is artificial, apart from the working time directive these physicians are not required by any on.

If the working time directive is not liberalize, health service will have to deal with it. I do not believe that hospitals will employ thousand of additional doctors because of working time directive. I also do not believe that some of today functioning hospitals will close because of this artificial lack of doctors. Working times of a physician working for a number of employers do not add up. Because of it I do expect, that hospitals will probably exchange doctors for night shifts with each other. Doctors will after all work the same amount of time, but part of that time in other hospital, in unfamiliar workplace, where they will take care of patients they do not know. The quality of care will fall without doubt.

In the Czech Republic it is not possible to take advantage of opt-out to date. However I am ready to support this liberal mechanism in the working time directive. If the amended working time directive enables opt-out, the employers and employees in the Czech Republic will strive to incorporate it in the Czech legislation and derive benefits from it.

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