Hours of work in the territorial public service (FPT)

Verified 13 February 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

You are a territorial agent and would like to know the rules on working hours. Find the essential information you need to know.

General framework

The duration of the actual work is set to 35 hours a week.

The working time count shall be carried out on the basis of a actual annual working time of up to 1,607 hours. Of overtime may be added to this working time.

Reduction of working hours due to special subjects

The annual working time used as a basis for calculating working time can be reduced, by deliberation, to take into account subjects in particular in the following cases:

  • Night work
  • Work on Sunday
  • Staggered hours work
  • Teamwork
  • Significant modulation of the work cycle
  • Hard or dangerous work

Obligation to provide services

Certain categories of staff are subject to working hours of less than 35 hours per week. In this case, we are talking about service obligation scheme.

Territorial arts teachers, for example, must provide 16 hours of instruction per week.

Non-full-time employment

It may be established by deliberation non-full-time jobs for which the weekly working time is less than 35 hours per week.

Daily working time

The working time may not exceed 10 hours a day.

You have a minimum rest of 11 hours a day.

The maximum working day, i.e. the maximum working day, including break time, shall be 12 hours.

You benefit from a break of at least 20 minutes after a maximum of 6 hours of work.

Night work shall comprise at least the period between 22 hours and 5 hours or another period of 7 consecutive hours between 22 hours and 7 hours.

Weekly Duration

The actual working time, including overtime, may not exceed 48 hours in a week, or an average of 44 hours over a period of 12 consecutive weeks.

Weekly rest normally includes Sunday.

The weekly rest cannot be less than 35 hours.

Derogations from maximum working hours and minimum rest periods

Where the activity of a service so requires at all times, different maximum daily and weekly working hours and minimum rest periods may be fixed by decree.

This concerns, in particular, the services responsible for the protection of persons and property.

Counterparties are granted.

A deliberation may, for example, provide for 24 consecutive hours of attendance for professional firefighters, taking into account the duties of the fire and rescue services.

Also, if exceptional circumstances As warranted, maximum daily and weekly working hours and minimum rest periods may be applied by a head of service for a limited period. This may, for example, be the case in the context of a health crisis.

The staff representatives on the Social Committee must be informed immediately.

Work Cycles

The work is organized according to reference periods called work cycles.

The duration of the work cycle can vary from week to year.

The work cycle is defined by department or by function nature.

The working cycles to which the services may have recourse shall be defined by deliberation, after consulting the Social Committee.

This deliberation determines in particular the duration of the cycle, the daily and weekly limits and the rest and break conditions.

Working hours are defined within the work cycle so that the annual working time is within the legal duration (1,607 hours or less).

When the work cycle consists of several weeks, the duration of work may vary from one week to the next within the cycle.

Example :

A 2-week cycle including 1 week at 32 hours and 1 week at 38 hours, with an average of 35 hours per week.

Where the working cycle provides for working hours exceeding 35 hours per week, hours worked in excess of the legal duration shall give rise to RTT.

Example :

A 39-hour week entitles you to 4 hours of RTT.

And hours worked beyond the legal duration, once RTT days are granted, if applicable, constitute overtime.

Variable Hours

Working time may be organized in variable hours, subject to operational requirements, after consulting the Social Committee.

This organization defines a reference period (usually a fortnight or a month) during which you must work a number of hours corresponding to the prescribed duration (generally 35 hours per week on average).

The working hours are counted by a time-keeping system and a device debit credit allows you to carry a limited number of working hours from one period to the next.

A maximum number of hours can be charged to your debit or credit.

For a reference period of 15, this ceiling may not be higher than 6 hours.

For a one-month reference period, it may not be greater than 12 hours.

The variable hours are organized as follows:

  • Either they provide for a minimum period of work of at least 4 hours per day
  • Either they provide fixed ranges of at least 4 hours (during which you must be present) and mobile ranges (during which you choose daily your arrival and departure times)

Example :

Fixed beaches from 9.30am to 11.30am and from 1.30pm to 4.30pm (during which you must be present) and mobile beaches from 7.30am to 9.30am and from 4.30pm to 6.30pm (during which you choose your daily arrival and departure times)