The European Commission had already decided to review the opt-out. The UK's is the only EU member state government that extends the opt-out to everyone at work, and a change could affect personnel across the retail motor industry, among many others. The latest Sewells/RMI Pay Guide indicates that Dealer Principals work an average 50 hours a week, sales managers 47.5 hours, and sales executives and service managers 46.6 hours.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber, said: “This is a very welcome decision from the European Parliament. It increases the pressure on Europe to end the UK opt-out, the only sure way to start to tackle our long hours culture.”

The TUC claims that one in three who have signed an 'opt-out' say they were given no choice, and nearly two out of three who work more than 48 hours a week have not even been asked to sign an opt-out.

The Working Time Directive limits working hours for most people to an average of 48 hours a week. It's not an absolute limit, but an average calculated over a period from 13 weeks to a year. Four million people in the UK work more than 48 hours a week on average.