Working hours and rest periods belong in the 'working conditions of workers’ group. Definitions of basic terms and limits of working hours and rest periods are regulated in Part Four of the Labour Code (Sections 78 to 100 of the Labour Code).
Working hours means a period of time for which a worker is obliged to perform work for their employer and a period of time for which a worker is ready to perform work at the workplace according to their employer's instructions (orders) (Section 78(1)(a) of the Labour Code). It includes shift time and overtime work (Section 78(1)(c) and Section 78(1)(i) of the Labour Code).
Rest period is defined negatively in relation to the definition of working hours as time that is not working hours. It includes not only the period of continuous rest between shifts and during the week (Section 90 and Section 92 of the Labour Code), but also, inter alia, the period which is excluded by law from working hours (cf. Section 88(4) and Section 95(3) of the Labour Code).
The duration of working hours is traditionally set by law as weekly.
The maximum duration is set by law - i.e. it is the ‘standard weekly working hours’ (Section 79 of the Labour Code). The Labour Code contains several durations of standard weekly working hours, which are conditioned by the implemented work regime of the specific worker.
The standard weekly working hours may be reduced below the statutory limit without a reduction in wages only through a collective agreement or an internal regulation, and may not be reduced by an employer indicated in Section 109(3) of the Labour Code (Section 79(3) of the Labour Code).
The employer and the worker may agree on shorter working hours and the worker is entitled to a wage or salary that corresponds to the agreed shorter working hours (Section 80 of the Labour Code).
The employer will unilaterally distribute working hours for workers and determine the start and end of shifts. As a rule, working hours are distributed over a five-day working week, but this is not mandatory (Section 81 of the Labour Code). The schedule of working hours must be prepared by the employer in writing and must be communicated to the worker at least 2 weeks (for a working hours account 1 week) before the beginning of the period for which the working hours are scheduled, unless it agrees with the worker on another (usually shorter) acquaintance period (Section 84 of the Labour Code).
The employer must provide the worker with a work break for food and rest of at least 30 minutes after a maximum of 6 hours of continuous work.
The work breaks provided for food and rest are not included in the working hours and are therefore the worker's free time.
The employer is obliged to provide the worker with continuous rest for at least 11 hours between the end of one shift and the beginning of the next shift. This rest may be reduced to 8 hours in 24 consecutive hours in cases defined by law, provided that the following rest is extended.
The employer is obliged to provide the worker with uninterrupted rest during the week of at least 35 hours. This rest may be reduced to 24 hours in cases defined by law, provided that workers are provided with continuous rest during the week so that over a period of 2 weeks, the length of this rest is a total of at least 70 hours.
The employer is obliged to keep records for individual workers indicating the beginning and end of the shift, overtime work, work at night, time on standby, and work performed during standby. The form of these records is not determined by law, i.e. it can be both paper and electronic, but must always show the data required by law.