Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2005, published 95th ILC session (2006)

Article 6 of the Convention. Distribution of working hours over a period longer than a week for specific categories of workers. The Committee notes that section 4bis(2) of the Act of 9 December 1970 on the reduction and regulation of the hours of work for manual workers in the public and private sectors of the economy, as amended, enables the competent minister to authorize special regulations on the hours of work for a specific category of workers, if no collective agreements exist. These regulations may allow work up to 12 hours per day, but not longer than 40 hours per week. The Committee recalls that Article 6 of the Convention allows for the distribution of working hours as long as the hours of work in any day do not exceed ten hours. It therefore requests the Government to take the appropriate steps to bring the legislation in line with the Convention in this regard.

Article 7, paragraph 4. Higher rate of pay for additional hours of work. The Government’s response to the Committee’s last direct request states that a new draft regulation has been submitted to the State Council for the abolition of section 19 of the General Conditions of Service of the State and Public Service which stipulates that higher rate of pay is only payable to public servants who work additional hours, as of the eighth additional hour worked. The Committee requests the Government to provide a copy of the new text, once it has been adopted by the State Council.