Do you know what the working conditions of seafarers are?

Working hours and rest

If you employ staff on board a seagoing ship, their standard working hours are 8 hours per day, with one day of rest per week and additional rests on public holidays.

According to EU rules, you have to guarantee that crewmembers stick to maximum working hours or minimum resting time:

– The maximum working hours must not exceed 14 hours in any 24-hour period and 72 hours in any 7-day period
– The minimum resting time cannot be less than 10 hours in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any 7-day period

You can divide the hours of rest into a maximum of two parts. If you split the rest, one of the two rest periods must last at least 6 hours and the interval between consecutive rest periods cannot exceed 14 hours.

Paid annual leave

You must guarantee that your employees receive a minimum of 2.5 calendar days of paid annual leave per month and on a pro-rata basis for incomplete months. You cannot replace the minimum period of paid annual leave by an allowance, except when the employment is terminated.

Keeping records

As an employer, you have to keep a record of daily hours worked and rest periods taken by your crewmembers. You should provide each staff member with a copy of their records, endorsed by the master of the ship and by the employee.

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