Any foreign company deploying posted workers to France is required to respect French labour law, notably with respect to the payment of the French minimum wage and French working time.
In response to the questions often asked by our clients, we have selected 4 salient points to remember concerning the rules on working time in France.
1. WORKING TIME IN FRANCE
Maximum working time is 48 hours per week (from Monday 0 h 00 to Sunday 24 h 00) and 10 hours per day. There may, however, be certain exemptions.
2. WEEKLY REST PERIOD
The employee must have at least 35 hours of rest per week. No employee may be compelled to work more than 6 days per week. A weekly rest period of at least 24 hours and a daily rest period of 11 hours are mandatory.
Failure to respect these provisions incurs penalties of up to 1 500 euros. (art. R. 262-1 of the Labour Code)
3. OVERTIME PAY FOR ADDITIONAL HOURS
In the standard context, the legal working time is 35 hours per week. Hours worked over and above this legal working time are paid at overtime rates:
- 25% for 8 additional hours (36th to 43rd hour)
- 50% from the 9th hour (with effect from the 44th hour)
Specific agreements exist and can replace the standard context.
4. PAID LEAVE
The employee is entitled to 2.5 days of paid leave per month of effective work with the same employer. If the period of work is less than one month, the calculation is made on a pro rata basis. Eastern European countries are now mounting many challenges pursuant to the protectionist laws against social dumping. These new obligations can be complicated to implement for these foreign organisations which are not accustomed to such regulations.
As specialists in the posting of foreign workers to France, we can assist you in handling your procedures and help you to obtain a BTP card (construction worker’s identity card). To find out more, go to our dedicated page on this topic. ASD has also created an application on posting for the transport sector. For more information, visit: www.sotruck-app.com or contact us via our contact form for personalised information.
