Working time reforms in times of crisis

This working paper extends and complements the analysis of pre-2012 anticrisis measures published in the earlier ETUI Working Paper 'The crisis and'national labour law reforms: a mapping exercise' which dealt with anti-crisis measures on working time taken before February 2012.

Using a country-by-country analysis of reforms in the area of working time, the authors of this paper confirm that most of the working time reforms adopted by EU Member States during the crisis leveraged the crisis as a – false – excuse to legitimate the introduction of legislation detrimental to workers.