Topical challenges to the legal regulation of working time

Abstract

The article focuses on those topical issues in the legal regulation of working time which are connected with seeking a balance between flexibility and protection of labour. The article considers the main sources of legal regulation of working time at the international and the national level, as well as the current practice of the Court of Justice of the European Union. An examination is conducted of the personnel scope of the regulation of working time and criteria are identified on the basis of which workers and employees should be distinguished from self-employed persons. The working time regulation of remote work has been laid down in the legislation, however, the challenge relating to ensuring a continuous period of rest remains a topical one. Platform work is a serious challenge, and there is an initiative of regulating it by way of a Directive regarding the improvement of working conditions in the cases where work is performed through a platform.