How many hours can employees legally work in Türkiye? What are compensatory working rules? Which periods are counted as part of working time?Here are the applicable principles and legal limits under the Turkish Labour Law No. 4857.
What Is the Legal Working Time in Türkiye?
What Is the Maximum Weekly Working Time?
According to the Turkish Labour Law, the standard working time in workplaces across Türkiye is a maximum of 45 hours per week. Unless otherwise agreed, this time is evenly distributed across the working days.
For example, in a workplace operating 6 days a week, daily working time would be 7.5 hours.
What Are the Working Time Limits for Underground Mining Operations in Türkiye?
There are specific legal restrictions for employees working in underground mining operations:
- A maximum of 7.5 hours per day, and
- A maximum of 37.5 hours per week.
These limits are mandatory for occupational health and safety.
What Are Flexible Working Hours and the Equalisation System?
With the mutual consent of the parties, the 45-hour weekly working time does not need to be evenly distributed across the week. In such cases:
- Daily working time cannot exceed 11 hours,
- Within a 2-month period, the weekly average must not exceed 45 hours (this is called the equalisation system).
- If there is a collective labour agreement, this period may be extended to 4 months, or 6 months in the tourism sector.
What Is Compensatory Work and How Is It Applied in Türkiye?
Compensatory work is allowed for making up lost working time caused by mandatory reasons. For instance:
- If the workplace is closed before a public holiday,
- If an employee takes leave upon request,
- If operations are suspended temporarily,
The employer may request compensatory work within 4 months, which may be extended to 8 months by Presidential Decree.
Key rules:
- Compensatory work cannot exceed 3 hours per day,
- Cannot be performed on rest days,
- Is not considered overtime work.
Which Periods Are Counted as Working Time under Turkish Law?
The following periods are considered part of the employee’s working time:
- Time spent descending and ascending in underground mining and similar workplaces,
- Travel time when an employee is sent by the employer to another workplace,
- Time during which the employee is present at the workplace but not actively working,
- Time spent by the employee performing tasks outside of their primary duties as assigned by the employer,
- Breastfeeding breaks for female employees,
- Travel time for employees transported in groups to remote work locations.
However, commute time for social purposes (e.g., employer-provided shuttle buses used only for convenience) is not considered working time.
How Must Daily Working Hours Be Communicated in Workplaces?
Each workplace is required to clearly inform employees of:
- Daily start and end times, and
- Break periods.
These schedules may vary depending on the nature of the work.
Q&A Summary
- What is the maximum weekly working time in Türkiye?
45 hours. - What is the maximum daily working time?
11 hours. - What is the maximum weekly working time for mining workers?
5 hours. - What is compensatory work?
It refers to making up for missed working days at a later time. - Is compensatory work considered overtime?
No, it is not. - What is the daily limit for compensatory work?
A maximum of 3 hours per day. - Can compensatory work be done on holidays?
No, it cannot. - Is time spent waiting at work considered working time?
Yes, it is. - Is breastfeeding leave for female employees included in working time?
Yes, it is counted. - When is commute time not counted as working time?
When it is solely for social convenience purposes.
Legal Notice: The information in this article is intended for information purposes only. It is not intended for professional information purposes specific to a person or an institution. Every institution has different requirements because of its own circumstances even though they bear a resemblance to each other. Consequently, it is your interest to consult on an expert before taking a decision based on information stated in this article and putting into practice. Neither Karen Audit nor related person or institutions are not responsible for any damages or losses that might occur in consequence of the use of the information in this article by private or formal, real or legal person and institutions.
