Duty roster, work schedule, shifts, working hours
This is what a work schedule must look like in order to be legal
How far in advance do you have the right to know which shifts you will be working?
JOBB
Early shift, middle shift, late shift?
Many employees work different shifts over the course of a week, and the duty roster will very often be altered during the course of a year.
These are the rules that apply to duty rosters:
• Alle employees who work at different times of the day and night must have a duty roster. It must be readily accessible.
• The duty roster must be in writing.
• The duty roster must be drawn up in collaboration with the union representative at the workplace.
• The duty roster must show what weeks and days of the week you will be working and your starting and finishing times at work.
• Daily and weekly working hours, break times and days off must be in compliance with the Working Environment Act. If your workplace is party to a collective agreement (an agreement with a trade union) the rules of that agreement must also be followed.
• Before changes are made to the duty roster, they must be discussed with you or a union representative.
• The duty roster must be ready at least 14 days before it starts to apply.
• 14 days’ notice must also be given of any changes to the duty roster.
• Your contract of employment must state when and how changes are made to shifts.
• You and your employer can agree on shifts that are less than 14 days away, but you will not normally be under any obligation to work them.
Exceptions apply if the collective agreement at your workplace says something different. The same applies in the case of unforeseen events where employees have to work in order to avert threats to life or property. Exceptions may also apply if you are ordered to work overtime at short notice.
• On-call substitutes are not entitled to two weeks’ prior notice of duty roster changes.
If you normally work as an on-call substitute, but work more during holiday periods, it may be that a duty roster is drawn up for the holiday period. You must be included on that roster.
• If you work on an on-call basis and have agreed to work a shift, you are entitled to be paid for the shift even if it is cancelled – unless your contract of employment states otherwise.
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Translated by Robert Lovering
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