Working and rest time of a minor
- An employee who is a minor may not perform overtime work.
- An employee who is a minor is generally not allowed to work at night.
- A minor subject to the obligation to attend school may not work for more than a half of each term of the school holiday.
Restrictions on the work of minors
Stricter working time restrictions are imposed on minors compared to adults.
A minor subject to the obligation to attend school may not:
- work beyond the working hours assigned to him or her;
- perform overtime work;
- perform work immediately before the start of a school day;
- work for more than half of each term of the school holiday;
- work between 20:00 and 06:00.
Compulsory school attendance is in effect until graduation from basic school or reaching the age of 17.
A minor not subject to the obligation to attend school may not:
- work beyond the working hours assigned to him or her;
- perform overtime work;
- work between 22:00 and 06:00.
EXCEPTION: A minor may, under the supervision of an adult, perform creative work in the field of culture, sports or advertising between 20:00 and 00:00. For example, a child at the age of 8 can take part in an advertising campaign, play a role in a theatre performance or take part in various cultural projects.
Shortened full-time work of an employee who is a minor
Shortened full-time work has been established for minors to protect the health of minors and allow sufficient time to receive education to minor employees subject to compulsory school attendance. Depending on the age of the minor, minors can work 2–8 hours a day.
Depending on the age, shortened full-time work for minors is as follows:
|
|
Permitted working time hours per day (section 43 of the Employment Contracts Act) |
Allowed working time in hours over a seven-day period (section 43 of the Employment Contracts Act) |
Mandatory rest time in hours over a 24-hour period (subsection 51 (2) of the Employment Contracts Act) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7–12 years old |
2 hours during a quarter of an academic year; 3 hours during school holidays |
12 hours during a quarter of an academic year; 15 hours during school holidays |
22 hours during a quarter of an academic year; 20 hours during school holidays |
|
13–14 years old,compulsory school attendance |
2 hours (3 hours for light work*) during a quarter of an academic year; 7 hours during school holidays |
12 hours during a quarter of an academic year; 35 hours during school holidays |
21 hours during a quarter of an academic year; 15 hours during school holidays |
|
15–17-year-old, non-compulsory |
8 |
40 |
14 |
|
SPECIFICATION: 14-years of age during traineeship |
7 |
35 |
15 |
|
SPECIFICATION: 15-17 years of age during traineeship |
8 |
40 |
14 |
NB! An agreement by which a break of no less than 30 minutes during the working day has not been prescribed for an employee who is a minor for work longer than 4.5 hours is void. Breaks during the working day are not considered working time (subsection 47 (3) of the Employment Contracts Act).
* Light work in the field of culture, art, sports or advertising
Application of summarised working time with regard to a minor may not exceed the aforementioned restrictions. For example, a child who is 12 years of age may work three hours a day on three days a week and two hours a day on three days a week according to summarised working time. His or her working time may not exceed three hours a day and 15 hours a week.