Europe’s highest court, the European Court of Justice (EJC), has just made commuting to work easier for their own nationals, ruling that the time that it takes for someone to get to and from work should be considered work itself.
This means that some European citizens will get paid for the daily commute.
However, this doesn’t apply to all EU workers; it only applies to workers without a fixed office (this will affect professions like on-the-road plumbers, electricians and sales representatives). But what the EJC is working towards is protecting the “health and safety” of employees who start and finish their work day at their own home.
The EJC believe that it’s not the employees’ choice to work on the road without a regional base, that it’s the employer’s, and this ruling has been put in place to ensure people aren’t working more than 48 hours a week and that they are guaranteed a minimum rest period.
Not only that, the EJC has also ruled that if an employee is sick when they’re on holidays, they may be able to claim back the annual leave dates they booked with their employer.
Australia, take note…
