Any legal experts here? - employment law question

[autopilot]

Does anyone know what the maximum number of hours a week (or month) an employer can make you work.

I am contracted to do 173 hours a month (43 a week) which i am doing, but my employer is trying to make me do more more, which i am refusing to do.

Is compulsory overtime is illegal? Does it depend on how many you already do? Or whats in your contract?

Where do i stand?

[Trippledence]

48 I think, I would expect you have the right to refuse to do more than that.

[TeePee]

48 hours per week is the limit (although you can voluntarily opt out.

If you are contracted to less hours, then it all depends on your contract's wording.

[badass]

The European working time directive is huge and the 48 hour limit is one tiny part of it that you can opt out.
Due to all of the other restrictions, even if you opt out of the 48 hour working week, there is still a limit.
In any 24 hour period, every employee must have at least 11 hours not working. That means they can pick any 24 hour period (e.g. from 5am sat to 5am sun or 6pm mon to 6pm teus) for that to apply. Add the compulsory 24 hours each week (continuous - i.e. 1 full day) where all employees must have off and you are left with reasonable protection.
There are exceptions to this, like oil rigs and other specifically mentioned industries/jobs, but no one else can get out of this even if the employee wnats to work longer.

[badass]

Does anyone know what the maximum number of hours a week (or month) an employer can make you work.

I am contracted to do 173 hours a month (43 a week) which i am doing, but my employer is trying to make me do more more, which i am refusing to do.

Is compulsory overtime is illegal? Does it depend on how many you already do? Or whats in your contract?

Where do i stand?

Just to add, whether they can force you to work more hours is entirely dependant on the wording of the contract and whether the overtime is paid for or not.
If they are not paying you any overtime and the contract mentions 173 hours per month they will have a VERY hard time convincing a tribuneral.