Working Time Regs extended to rail sector

The Working Time Regulations are being extended to cover workers in sectors previously excluded from the 1998 legislation - including those in the rail industry and offshore oil and gas workers. The Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) confirmed last week that the new regulations would also cover civil engineering workers engaged on rail track renewal and maintenance from 1 August 2003. The change removes any doubt about the position of such workers.The regulations mean that workers will now be entitled to: An average 48-hour working week. Four weeks' paid annual holiday. Rest breaks. Health assessments for night workers. An eight-hour limit on night working.The DTI added that the new measures will extend rights on hours and holiday pay to a further 770,000 workers in all.