In December last year the European Parliament voted to end the UK’s opt-out of the 48-hour week limit.

However, after months of negotiations to draw up a directive, both sides have admitted that agreement will not be reached in time for this month’s deadline, meaning that the UK will retain its opt-out.

The Department for Business said the two sides had been unable to reconcile their "long-standing differences".

Pat McFadden, the employment relations minister, said it would have been a "bad deal for Britain".

"Everyone has the right to basic protections surrounding the hours that they work, but it is also important that they have the right to choose those hours," he added.  

There had been concern in the print industry that the regulations would remove the flexibility that many employers required to meet the seasonal nature of the trade.

Dani Novick, managing director of print and packaging recruitment specialists Mercury Search and Selection Limited, said: "Retaining the opt-out is welcome news as I believe staff should have the choice if they want to work more hours, particularly in the current economic climate, and employers need the flexibility to deal with demand as and when it arises. 

"In reality the maximum hours in the regulations were based on an average over many weeks so in practice it doesn’t make much difference in all but extreme cases; there is a reasonable amount of flexibility either way.

"There are those who say it leaves employees open to abuse by being coerced into opting out but I don’t believe this is significant. 

"Ultimately, employees who don’t want to be there aren’t very productive so it would be counterproductive to coerce them."