Construction Foreman Refuses to Work Unpaid Overtime at Exhibition
A construction worker asked for advice after his employer refused to pay for overtime work at a trade show, citing high costs and calling it an 'investment in the company's future.'
A foreman at a construction company has turned to the press for advice after his employer refused to compensate him for working at a trade show on a weekend. The man agreed to act as a consultant at the exhibition, hoping for extra income, but the promised bonus did not appear in his next paycheck. When he asked his boss, the employer explained that the exhibition was very expensive for the company and that they could not afford to pay overtime, asking the employee to consider it an investment in the company's future.
Lawyer Edijs Liepiņš clarifies that such action by the employer is not legal. According to the Labour Law Section 136, overtime work is only permissible with a written agreement, except for extraordinary circumstances such as force majeure. Section 68 stipulates that overtime must be compensated at a rate of at least 100% of the hourly wage, which may be reduced to 50% under a collective agreement.
The employee has the right to file a complaint with the State Labour Inspectorate, but the lawyer also suggests the possibility of negotiating with the employer for paid time off instead of overtime pay, as allowed by Section 136, Paragraph 9 of the Labour Law.
