Find out more about Finland's timekeeping heritage where working time has been regulated by law since 1917

In May 2019, the European Court of Justice ruled in a case from Spain that working time must be recorded in an objective, reliable and accessible way. The German Federal Labour Court also ruled on this basis in another case in September 2022, making it clear that current working time law is not fully in line with EU rules.Why is this important? Only by recording actual working time can it be ensured that agreed hourly rates, minimum wages and necessary breaks for health and safety are respected. This is not just a legal issue, it is about fair working conditions. 

Finland provides an interesting example. Working time has been regulated by law not just since the European Court of Justice ruling in 2019, but since 1917, with a broad social consensus. Read more about the Finnish example and perspective in our paper by Samuli Hiilesniemi, "The Regulation of the Measurement of Working Time in Finland".

Here you find the shorter German version