1E9Ct5D

a) Day shift. The shift between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. with a maximum duration of8 hours a day or 48 hours a week;b) Night shift. The shift between 8:00 p.m. of one day and 6:00 a.m. of the next daywith a maximum duration of 7 hours a day or 42 hours a week;c) Mixed shift. The shift including time from both the day and the night shifts, providedthe night period is less than 3 1/2 hours since, if such time is exceeded, theshift will be considered a night shift, and whose duration will be 7 1/2 hours dailyor 45 hours a week.The above cited law establishes that during a continuous work shift the worker willbe granted at least a half hour rest period, and for every six days of work the workerswill enjoy one fully paid day off.The weekly day off should normally be Sunday, but those that work on that daywill be entitled to the payment of an additional premium called the Sunday premium,which consists of the payment of 25 percent of the salary of the ordinary workdays of the week. Apart from the traditional work shifts, the law establishes that theemployers and their workers can divide the work hours in order to allow the latterto have Saturday afternoon off or any equivalent arrangement. Therefore, and giventhat the law does not establish what other shifts would be permitted, case law hasestablished some other possibilities, although they are not necessarily the only onesthat could be used:a) Continuous work shift. The law does not define it, but it refers to an uninterruptedwork shift. This shift imposes a half hour rest period during the work shift for theworker to eat and rest;b) Discontinuous work shift. Its principal characteristic is the interruption of the worksuch that the worker can freely dispose of the intermediate period interruptingthe work shift to eat and rest, during which period the worker is not available to theemployer;c) Overtime shift. This is the shift that is extended beyond the ordinary limits underexceptional circumstances and it cannot exceed three hours per day nor threetimes a week, which is a maximum of nine hours per week;d) Special work shift. Some companies have introduced in their work places thistype of shift, which exceeds the daily work shift without surpassing the maximumduration for the week, so their workers can have one or more days of theweek off;e) Emergency work shift. This shift continues beyond the ordinary limit establishedby the law and therefore such shift may only be used in the case of accidents orimminent danger that threatens the life of the worker, his/her co-workers or theemployer, or the existence of the work place itself.87Labor Law