As the spectre of a compulsory 48-hour working week hangs over the construction industry, the ECA is consulting members and other industry associations before presenting its views to UK and EU officials.
Head of employee relations, Alex Meikle, says: "Members are not keen to remove the opt-out clause. The industry as a whole has a longer hours mentality, especially with employees working away from home. To have this bureaucracy thrust upon us is extremely inconvenient.

"However we realise that there may be a need for moderation of current practices. We are not a sweatshop industry and we want to ensure that projects are run effectively and that employees have adequate choice on the hours they work."