The Working Environment Act sets a ”normal work time limit”. The work time schemes that deviate from this limit can be established through contracts between the employer and employee sides. An individual employee can agree extensions to the work time with the employer in some cases, for example, when it concerns an average calculation of the general work time. Employers and union representatives in companies that are bound by a tariff agreement can agree some more exceptions and the Labour Inspection Authority can, after an application, give dispensation for major exceptions from the main rules.

The Ministry would now like a better overview of how companies actually use this law. The aim of the contract is to get an overview of how different work time schemes are set locally in companies.

In concrete the Ministry would like to examine whether there are dialogue/agreement processes for setting the work time scheme at the work place, and how this dialogue/agreement process is carried out.