Dutch law regulates not only the maximum number of working hours per week, but also specifies the minimum amount of time an employee should have for rest during the week and between two working days.
In the Netherlands, there must be an uninterrupted period of at least 11 hours of rest between one working day and the next. So if an employee finishes work on Monday at 11:00 p.m., for example, the earliest they can start the next working day is Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.
Once a week, the rest period may be shortened to 8 hours, as stipulated in the Working Time Act (Arbeidstijdenwet). However, this must be justified by specific reasons, such as the type of work or the conditions in a given company.
In such a case, an employee ending a shift on Monday at 11:00 p.m. may be required to report to work again on Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. On subsequent days, however, the break between working days must again be at least 11 hours.
Each week, after the last working day, the employee is entitled to an uninterrupted rest period of at least 36 hours (1.5 days). Therefore, if the employee finished work, for example, on Saturday at 8:00 p.m., they can only start work again on Monday at 8:00 a.m.
The working week may be longer, however, if there is a rest period lasting at least 72 hours (3 days) continuously within 14 days. It may therefore be the case that an employee works 11 days in a row, but then must have at least three full days of rest. So if an 11-day period of work ended, for example, on Monday at 5:00 p.m., then work can only start again on Thursday after 5:00 p.m.
This 72-hour rest period during every 14 days of employment may also be divided into two parts lasting at least 32 hours each (e.g. a 32-hour and a 40-hour rest period).
Detailed information on maximum working hours, length of breaks, right to rest and specific rules applicable in various industries can be found in the brochure “Working Hours Act. Information for employers and employees” of the Ministry of Social Policy and Labor. Its Polish translation can be found on the website of the Dutch government – here LINK to this text.