BRITAIN AGREES EXTENSION TO WORKING TIME DIRECTIVE

Agreement was reached on 3rd April, 2000 on the extension of the Working Time Directive to cover workers in the sectors and activities currently excluded from the Directive. The Working Time Directive will be amended to cover doctors in training, offshore and railway workers and all non-mobile workers in the excluded sectors. Mobile workers in air, road and inland waterway transport will also be provided with "adequate rest", 4-weeks' annual leave and for a limit on their working time. A separate directive, adopted last June, covers the working time of seafarers.

A nine-year timetable has been agreed for reducing the working time of doctors in training to 48 hours a week on average. The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers will now each have 6 weeks in which to adopt the Directive. Member States will have 3 years to implement all the provisions.

Tensor are advising companies and organizations affected (which basically appears to be any organisation employing people!) to review their own situation now.

As the British and European leader in Time and Attendance and Access systems, Tensor have provided new features in the WinTA software to track, record and maintain compliance with the Work Time Directive. WinTA is the worlds first Smart Card Time & Attendance system that meets the requirements of the new legislation. The WindowsTM based Time Management Software is designed to complement the Tensor Smart Card hardware, providing calculations of employee hours, with integrated Access Control functions. WinTA built in reports but also has a Report Writer which allows you to define a wide range of customised reports, which can be printed, exported, or viewed on screen. Automatic reports can be generated at pre-set times, for any give period. The WinTA software also has extra modules such as Tensor Personnel, Manpower Scheduling, Visitor Control, Job Costing and ID Card Software which can be added at any time to enhance the standard WinTA software package. Every WinTA system has a Fire Roll Call module that can be programmed to automatically open all or certain doors in the event of emergency. The roll call list is printed automatically, this function is executed directly from the clocking stations and does not rely on the controlling PC.