Research project Regulation of working time

How much we work, and when we work, affects our health. For that reason, there is statutory protection against working too much. The law limits the working time, but despite the important role of law as a tool for regulating the issue, it has not attracted much attention in legal research. One reason for this may be that working time is regulated by several different actors at different levels; the Swedish legislator, the EU legislator and the social partners.

The diverse regulation makes it difficult for the individual employee and employer to get answers to important questions, such as how much overtime the employer can demand or how the company's increased need for labour can be met while maintaining a healthy working environment. The Working Time Act also does not provide clear means for the employee who is forced to work more than the law allows to claim their rights. Enforcement of the law is also divided between the Swedish Work Environment Authority and the trade unions, which means that important issues risk falling through the cracks.

In light of the above, it is important to carry out a coherent study of the regulation of working time. The need for such study has become clear with the development of EU law in recent years, which has raised issues of control and monitoring of working hours and with new issues that have arisen in the event of changed working conditions and through work with blurred boundaries between work and leisure.

The survey aims to show how Swedish legal regulation relates to EU legal requirements concerning working time and how control and supervision over compliance with the law are exercised. To shed light on the complex picture of working time regulation two different collective agreements and their regulation will be analyzed.