Additional Article 1 of Law No. 5953 sets overtime pay as a rule at 50% above the hourly rate, then adds an exception: overtime hours falling after 00:00 are paid at double the rate.
What "Double" Means
The hourly rate itself plus the same again — twice the rate. The 1.5 multiplier for ordinary overtime rises to 2 after midnight.
| Work | Multiplier | At an hourly rate of TRY 200 |
|---|---|---|
| Normal work (within 8 hours) | × 1 | TRY 200 |
| Overtime — up to 00:00 | × 1.5 | TRY 300 |
| Overtime — after 00:00 | × 2 | TRY 400 |
The Critical Distinction: "Overtime Hours"
Two conditions must therefore be met together:
- The work must exceed eight hours in the day (or fall on a national holiday, public holiday or the weekly rest day) — that is, it must count as overtime
- And those overtime hours must fall after 00:00
Calculating Across Midnight
Where overtime straddles midnight, the hours are calculated separately. For an editor on an hourly rate of TRY 200 working 2.5 hours of overtime between 23:00 and 01:30:
| Period | Duration | Multiplier | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23:00 – 00:00 | 1 hour | × 1.5 | TRY 300 |
| 00:00 – 01:30 | 1.5 hours | × 2 | TRY 600 |
| Total | 2.5 hours | — | TRY 900 |
Continuous Night Work Means Two Rest Days
The second consequence of night work is on the leave side. Under Article 19, in work requiring continuous night working the weekly rest is two days. A journalist working permanently on the night shift is given two paid rest days a week rather than one.
This is covered in the weekly rest article.
No Equivalent in Law 4857
The Labour Law provides no separate premium rate for night work; it limits night work in terms of duration. This rule in Law 5953 is a journalist-specific enhancement and directly affects payroll in newsrooms that close at night.
Bottom Line
Overtime hours falling after 00:00 are paid at double the normal hourly rate. The rule applies only to overtime; a normal night shift is not within its scope. Continuous night working additionally raises the weekly rest to two days.