How many hours can an employee work continuously?

Verified 26 January 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

The number of hours an employee can work continuously depends on the sector of activity in which he works.

General case

An employee must not work more than 6 hours right away in a day.

As soon as the employee has completed 6 consecutive hours of work, he must benefit obligatory at least one break 20 minutes consecutive.

Of treaty provisions may provide for a longer break time. The employee may consult or obtain the collective agreement on which he depends.

Transport sector

The Labor Code provides for a break of at least 20 consecutive minutes after 6 hours of continuous work.

However, in the transport sector, treaty provisions may provide for specific and derogating conditions.

Those provisions may provide in particular for the replacement of the rest period by an equivalent period of compensating rest.

These requirements shall apply in the following companies:

  • Rail transport
  • Restoring or operating sleeping places on trains
  • Road passenger transport
  • Sanitary road transport
  • Transport of funds and securities
  • Inland waterway transport.

The employee may consult or obtain the collective agreement on which he depends.

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