The rule is one day; but it rises to two for night workers. Article 19 of Law No. 5953 requires one paid rest day following every six days of actual work.
Two Tiers
| Working pattern | Weekly rest |
|---|---|
| Ordinary work | 1 day — following every six days of actual work |
| Work requiring continuous night working | 2 days |
Must the Rest Day Be Sunday?
No. The article does not require a particular day; the test is one day following six days of actual work. In newsrooms the rest day often falls within the week, and that is permitted.
This has a direct consequence on the overtime side. Under Additional Article 1 working on the weekly rest day counts as overtime; but the same article adds that a journalist whose weekly rest falls on a day other than Sunday is not treated as having worked overtime on the Sunday.
| Situation | Is Sunday work overtime? |
|---|---|
| Weekly rest taken on Sunday | Yes |
| Weekly rest taken on Tuesday | No |
The "Actual Work" Test
The article says "six days of actual work". The counter therefore runs on days worked. Days spent on leave or on sick leave are not actual work.
Compassionate Leave Is Separate
Alongside the weekly rest, Article 19 also regulates extraordinary paid leave and expressly states that it does not count against annual leave. Leave for birth, death and marriage is covered in the compassionate leave article.
The Annulled Article 20
Article 20 of the Law used to regulate the days on which daily newspapers would not be published. That article was annulled by the Constitutional Court in decision E.1992/36, K.1993/4 of 20/1/1993. There is therefore no provision today setting by statute the days on which newspapers are not published.
Bottom Line
A journalist is given one paid rest day following every six days of actual work; in work requiring continuous night working this is two days. The rest day need not fall on a Sunday, but which day it is taken directly affects the overtime calculation.