The union will today stage a protest in Strasbourg ahead of a European Parliament vote tomorrow.

Derek Simpson, joint general secretary at Unite, said: "Wednesday is the day for the UK Government to get into step with the rest of the EU.

"End the opt-out, put a stop to the long hours culture in this country and give our members the Christmas present they deserve."

Under the UK's current position, workers have the option to opt-out of the legislation controlling working hours, a move which joint general secretary Tony Woodley calls "a back door way" to extend working hours.

He added: "Time and again business has squealed that it cannot adapt to regulations, just as it did with the national minimum wage, only to find that the roof did not cave in when they did. It will be the same with working time.

"Companies will acknowledge that it is not necessary to exploit workers in order to stay in business."