“In Search of Lost Time”: Key Trends in Regulating Rights to Limited Working Hours, Rest, and Leisure

Abstract

The recognition of rights to limited working hours, rest, and leisure was preceded by a long struggle by workers to shorten their working time. International organizations also contributed to this process, notably by establishing standards designed to protect health, safety, and dignity at work. This article defines the concepts of working time, rest, and leisure, explores the evolution of the recognition of these rights, and critically examines the conditions and obstacles to their effective exercise in the contemporary world of work. This issue is particularly pressing as many workers today do not enjoy these rights, ranging from individuals in the informal sector to those who accept unlawful overtime work because they cannot afford the “luxury” of losing their jobs, while employers further intensify pressure through low wages. Furthermore, the extension of working hours is frequently rationalized as a means to protect the freedom of contract and workers’ purchasing power, and meet the demands of the so-called 24-hour economy. Concurrently, there is a growing trend toward reducing working hours, which will be explored through examples of statutory reductions in full-time working hours and experimental transitions to a four-day working week, along with theoretical reflections on the potential for contemporary societies and individuals to reduce their dependence on productive labor.