Phase
Labour law
Native name
Darba likums
Type
Working time flexibility
Added to database
08 May 2015

Article

Part D


Description

Flexible working time is agreed in collective agreements or in individual employment contracts.

Flexible working arrangements should comply with the general norms on working time and rest time of the labour law. Normal working time should not exceed 40 hours per week (35 for workers aged between 15 and 18) or employees associated with a special risk (such as increased psychological or physical load or increased health and safety risks which cannot be prevented or reduced up to the permissible level by other labour protection measures).

The application of an aggregated working time regime is regulated by section 140 of the Latvian labour law. It may be applied if due to the nature of the work it is not possible to comply with the length of the regular daily or weekly working time determined for the relevant employee (seven or eight hours per day, depending on number of working days, 40 hours per week).

Under the aggregated working time regime all hours worked by an employee are considered and therefore paid. Hours worked are summed up (aggregated) in a determined period of time (accounting period), which could be either a month or a longer period if it is provided for by the collective agreement or the employment contract.

Only the work performed by the employee beyond the regular working time determined in the accounting period shall be regarded as overtime work. This is different from the regular working time regime, under which overtime work is the work performed by the employee beyond the statutory regular working time.

By law, under the aggregated working time regime, it is prohibited to employ an employee for more than 24 consecutive hours and 56 hours a week.

An employee who has a child under the age of eight or who needs personal care for a spouse, parent, child or other close family member or for a person living in the same household as the employee who, for a serious medical reason, requires substantial care or support, has the right to ask the employer to make adjustments to the organisation of working time. The employer is obliged to assess this request, and, no later than one month from the date of receipt of the employee's request, to inform the employee of the possibilities for adjusting the organisation of working time in the undertaking.


Commentary

No information available.


Additional metadata

Cost covered by
Not available
Involved actors other than national government
Employer organisation Trade union Works council Other
Involvement (others)
Elected employee representatives
Thresholds
Affected employees: No, applicable in all circumstances
Company size: No, applicable in all circumstances
Additional information: No, applicable in all circumstances

Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2015), Latvia: Working time flexibility, Restructuring legislation database, Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/legislationdb/working-time-flexibility/latvia

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