Working Time

The Belgian government is preparing a reform that would allow the 38-hour full-time working week to be calculated as an annual average , rather than per week. This means workers could be required to work longer hours during busy periods—without receiving overtime pay—as long as their total hours average out to 38 per week over the year. The proposal is intended to give employers more flexibility in organising work schedules. However, unions warn that it would effectively eliminate paid overtime and undermine workers’ rest time, income security, and ability to plan their lives. ACV has strongly

A recent ruling by Denmark’s Supreme Court has confirmed that workers injured while working from home are entitled to the same protection as those injured in the workplace. The judgment followed a case supported by trade union HK , involving a member who fell at home in December 2020 and suffered a serious shoulder injury while returning to her desk from a coffee break. Authorities initially rejected the case, arguing the fall was due to a private object in the home. However, the Court ruled unanimously that making coffee is a natural extension of work activity and that the injury qualified as

More than 500 preschool teachers, professional staff and support workers protested in Zagreb to demand full implementation of legal provisions that would ensure wage equality with primary school teachers, along with improved working conditions. The action was organised by the Croatian Education, Media and Culture Union (SOMK) , SIDRO Association and professional associations of educators. The protest highlighted the failure to implement Article 51 of the Act on Preschool Education, which mandates equal pay for preschool and primary education staff. Organisers also pointed to a serious staff

More than one million workers in the UK are on zero-hours contracts, with a significant number employed under these terms for extended periods, according to new analysis by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) . The data reveals that about 720,000 zero-hours workers have been with the same employer for over a year, and 130,000 have remained without full employment rights after a decade of service. Zero-hours contracts , which offer no guaranteed working hours, are most prevalent in hospitality, retail, and the health and social care sectors. The TUC argues that the widespread use of these contracts

The Latvian Confederation of Free Trade Unions (LBAS ) is advocating for a reduction of the standard working week from 40 to 38 hours without pay cuts. This proposal follows discussions on modernising Latvia’s Labour Law, which currently focus on enabling a four-day workweek while maintaining 40 hours. LBAS argues that reorganising working days does not address the need to reduce overall hours, highlighting worker health, productivity, and work-life balance. The push for a shorter working week aligns with broader European trends. Spain plans to introduce a 37.5-hour week, Iceland has

Disability care workers in Ireland are facing pay shortfalls after publicly funded disability service providers failed to apply the latest national minimum wage increases to sleepover shifts. SIPTU has condemned the situation, which has left some workers more than 600 euros short in earnings for 2024. Sleepover shifts require workers to remain on-site overnight to provide essential care if needed. A 2014 Labour Court ruling established that these shifts constitute working time and must be paid at least the national minimum wage. While the Health Service Executive (HSE) provides funding to

On 20 December 2024, CCOO and UGT reached a landmark agreement with the Ministry of Labour to reduce the maximum legal working week from 40 to 37.5 hours without affecting wages. This is the first reform of the legal working day since 1983 and represents a major step forward for workers in Spain. The agreement, pending parliamentary approval, aims to improve the quality of life for workers by redistributing productivity gains and addressing inequalities in sectors like hospitality, agriculture, and commerce. It also promotes gender equality, as many of the longest working days affect feminised

Copenhagen Municipality has decided to extend its experiment with flexible working hours after successful trials across 17 workplaces. The initiative, which began in the spring of 2024, allows workers to organize their working time in various ways. Options include working longer days to gain an extra day off each week, an extra day off every other week, or a fixed monthly day off. The program, developed in close dialogue with the HK Kommunal union, aims to help workers achieve a better balance between work and family life. By testing different flexible schedules, the municipality seeks to find

The Polish governmen t is moving towards a major reform of the Labour Code, with proposals to reduce working hours by either implementing a four-day week or shortening the workday to seven hours. These changes are expected before 2027, with the decision on the model likely to be left to individual companies. While both options are being debated, research shows a preference for the four-day week among employers. The Family, Labour, and Social Policy Ministry has emphasized the importance of addressing work-life balance, particularly for younger generations. Shortening the working week is seen

Negotiations on reducing working hours have hit a standstill, prompting union leaders to advocate for increased mobilizations. Both major unions CCOO and UGT are planning to intensify their efforts at the end of August and throughout September due to the stagnation in talks. The mobilizations will involve coordinated actions in the streets and workplaces to drive progress on this critical issue. The proposed reduction aims to decrease the workweek to 37.5 hours, a change that has not been implemented in over 40 years. While the government’s initial proposal was seen as a positive start, it