Eight hours. Additional Article 1 of Law No. 5953 sets the daily working period at eight hours in both the day and night cycles for journalists who, by the nature of their duties, work continuously at places such as the establishment, the printing plant, the administrative office and the back office.
Scope: "Those Working Continuously"
Additional Article 1 does not cover everyone — it covers those working continuously at the places listed. The wording draws a line between the reporter out in the field, whose hours are variable by nature, and the journalist working to a fixed pattern at the centre.
| Place | Example |
|---|---|
| Establishment | The media organisation itself |
| Printing plant | The printing facility |
| Administrative office | The management unit |
| Back office | The head office or a bureau |
What Counts as Overtime?
The article also lists the situations that count as working overtime. It is not only exceeding eight hours — working on certain days counts too:
- Exceeding eight hours in the day
- Working on national holidays
- Working on public holidays
- Working on the weekly rest day
There is a fine distinction in the article: a journalist whose weekly rest falls on a day other than Sunday is not treated as having worked overtime on the Sunday. So Sunday work by a reporter whose rest day has been moved to Tuesday does not by itself generate overtime.
The Overtime Ceiling: Three Hours a Day
The same article sets a cap: overtime may not exceed three hours a day. This is a different construction from the annual 270-hour limit in Law 4857 — under Law 5953 the limit is daily.
| Subject | Law 5953 (journalist) | Law 4857 (worker) |
|---|---|---|
| Normal daily period | 8 hours | May not exceed 11 hours |
| Overtime limit | 3 hours a day | 270 hours a year |
Rounding Part Hours
The article also handles fractions: a period of less than half an hour counts as half an hour, and more than that counts as a full hour. So 20 minutes of overtime is paid as half an hour, and 40 minutes as one hour.
Piece-Rate Staff
A journalist whose pay is set per piece or by volume of work may also be required to work overtime; in that case payment is again made on the basis of Additional Article 1. The defence that "they work on a freelance fee basis, so no overtime arises" does not comply with the article.
Bottom Line
The daily working period for a journalist working continuously at the centre is eight hours. Exceeding it, and working on national holidays, public holidays and the weekly rest day, counts as overtime. Overtime may not exceed three hours a day; periods under half an hour count as half an hour and more than that as a full hour.
The pay calculation is covered in the overtime pay article, and weekly rest in the weekly rest article.