European politicians have voted to scrap the UK's long running opt-out from the Working Time Directive which limits the working week to an average of 48 hours.
Some 421 MEPs voted in favour of ending the opt-out compared to 273 who backed keeping it in place. The UK government will now meet with the European Council of Ministers to decide whether the opt-out will be scrapped in early 2009.
UK business experts expressed disappointment at the result saying it would have a negative impact on the flexibility of the labour market.
Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, urged the government to push for the retaining of the opt-out. "The removal of this flexibility neglects to recognise that employees may value the freedom of choosing whether to work more hours or not," he added.
Andrea Ward, of law firm Hogan & Hartson, echoed Emmotts' views saying "The existing 'opt-out' and importantly, the provisions to 'opt-in' by giving written notice, give employers and workers the necessary flexibility to cope with changes in demand.
Dragons' Den judges James Caan and Deborah Meaden and social entrepreneur Karen Darby are some of the successful entrepreneurs who feature in our exclusive videos. 
Join our social media discussion group and share your Twitter username with other BusinessZone members. 
We're putting together a list of business owners' must-haves.