The sharp surge in tourism activity during the summer months creates heightened operational demands for hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, catering companies, and travel agencies — frequently leading to extended working hours and raising important questions around overtime pay.
Overtime during tourist season: Law enforcement and the gap between actual and declared working hours
Despite the pressures of peak tourist season, the legal framework remains unchanged for employers, who are required to record every additional hour worked as overtime and pay the corresponding statutory compensation. Any extra time worked to meet business needs is considered standard working time and cannot be treated as informal or voluntary employment.
Rising visitor arrivals, high accommodation occupancy rates, and the intensive operation of food and beverage businesses frequently result in extended working hours. However, any additional work must comply with the conditions set out by labor legislation — both in terms of how it is declared and how it is compensated.
What the law provides
Overwork and overtime come with specific pay supplements. Under a five-day working week, hours worked between the 41st and 45th hour per week are generally classified as overwork and compensated with a 20% premium, while under a six-day working week the equivalent threshold extends to 48 hours. Any work beyond these limits is classified as overtime and, provided the legal procedures are followed, is compensated with a 40% premium.
Despite the heightened demands of the tourist season, workers employed in hotels, tourist accommodations, restaurants, bars, catering services, and travel agencies are covered by the same employment framework that applies across the entire labor market. Seasonal or fixed-term contracts do not eliminate employers’ obligations to declare working hours, pay statutory wages, and apply the required pay supplements for every additional hour worked.
Monitoring actual working hours through the Digital Work Card
The Digital Work Card serves as the primary mechanism for recording actual working hours in businesses that have been enrolled in the system. Clock-in and clock-out times must accurately reflect actual working hours, with no discrepancies between what is recorded and the employee’s actual time on the premises.
Workers are encouraged to verify that the hours recorded on their Digital Work Card, their work schedule, and their payslip all match their actual time worked. Equally, businesses are obliged to declare schedule changes in a timely manner and to pay all legally required supplements for overwork, overtime, night shifts, as well as work on Sundays and public holidays.
Workers’ rights are not suspended
The heightened intensity of the tourist season does not alter the provisions governing rest periods. Workers continue to be entitled to the prescribed daily and weekly rest hours, and continuous work without legally mandated breaks or days off is not permitted under the current employment framework.
