CHRISTMAS has come a month early for workers in the Leigh area with folk forced to work excessive hours for low pay and few paid holidays.

That was the view this week from local MEP Gary Titley who was commenting on the European Court ruling that Britain should step into line with the rest of the EC with a maximum 48 hour working week.

The ruling means British workers can look forward to a minimum three-weeks-a-year holiday entitlement which will rise to four in 1999.

Titley commented: "British people already work the longest hours in Europe. This is the only country where the working week has got longer over the last 10 years.

"Responsible employers, who value their workforce, have nothing to fear from the Working Time Directive because they already give their staff more than the minimum requirements.

"These Euro laws are really aimed at cowboy bosses who force their employees to work in a climate of fear, often for very low wages."

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