Working hours

Working time and correct payment of harvest workers (sezonieri video #2) from Sezonieri Kampagne on Vimeo.

Your normal working hours is the regular working hours without overtime. If you work more than the normal working hours, those hours are called “overtime”. Overtime hours have to be paid in addition to your normal hours with a special – higher – wage.

NORMAL HOURS OF WORK

The normal working week (without overtime) must from Monday to Sunday not exceed 40 hours, except when you are working flexitime.

Blocked Flexitime means:

You can work in a week more than 40 hours under the condition that in the next weeks your working time is less than 40 hours. The average of your working hours still has to remain 40 hours.

The normal working day (within 24 hours) is limited to nine hours. Exception: If you work regularly at only four days a week, it may be agreed that you work ten hours a day.

Not included in calculation of working time: breaks and the travel time from home to your workplace and back.

OVERTIME

If you exceed your normal working hours, then you work overtime.

Example: In case of a normal working week from Monday to Friday 7:00 to 12:00 and 12:30 to 15:30 overtime working hours occur after 15:30.

If you work under blocked flexitime conditions, then overtime applies when you have worked on average of the agreed period more than 40 hours. Record in this case simply all the hours you’ve worked and deduct per week 40 hours. The rest are overtime working hours.

Simplified examples for blocked flexitime and overtime:

Week 1: actual 48h working hours
2nd week: 32 hours actual working time.
Average: 40 hours working – no overtime

1st week: 48 hours actual working hours.
2nd week: 40 hours actual working hours.
Average: 44 hours working time – 4 hours of overtime per week

How long can I work?

On a weekday you may work a maximum of two overtime hours. On day that normally would be work-free, a maximum of eight hours overtime is allowed. Within one week this may apply to a maximum of 52 hours!

The weekly working time may in principle not exceed 52 hours (including overtime). That means: You should not work more than 52 hours, even if it is required. If you work over the limit, then these unauthorized overtime hours must of course be paid. Your employer may be punished, but not you!

Attention! During peak periods (whether block time or not) it is allowed to work even 60 hours/week! This is only allowed if no more than 48 hours worked per week on average (this average is calculated over 4 months).

REST DAYS, REST PERIODS AND BREAK

Within 24 hours, you need to have uninterrupted night’s sleep at least eleven hours.

For meals you are granted breaks at least one hour of breaks every day. These breaks are not considered as working time; therefore they are unpaid.

Sundays and holidays are public holidays. Work on Sundays and public holidays is prohibited, unless the weather situation necessitates a swift harvesting.