Working Time

The Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 implement the Working Time Directive in Northern Ireland. The aim of the Directive is to ensure that workers are protected against adverse effects on their health and safety; caused by working excessively long hours or having inadequate rest or disrupted work patterns. The Regulations provide for (amongst other things):

  • a maximum 48 hour working week averaged over a reference period;
  • a minimum daily rest period of 11 consecutive hours a day;
  • a rest break where the working day is longer than six hours;
  • a minimum rest period of one day per week;
  • a statutory right to 4.8 weeks paid annual leave (5.6 weeks from 1 April 2009): and
  • health assessments for night workers.  

The Regulations make special provision for ‘young workers’ (those above school leaving age, but below the age of 18) in terms of daily and weekly working time limits, daily and weekly rest, rest breaks at work and night work.

The Regulations exclude those who work in particular sectors of activity, mainly transport related. These excluded workers, listed below, are afforded similar protection by virtue of separate UK wide sector-specific Regulations:

Mobile workers in civil aviation external link, and workers performing mobile road transport activities external link are excluded from specified provisions in the Working Time Regulations, but are afforded similar protection by virtue of sector-specific Regulations.    

For further information on the Working Time Regulations please see: