Shift Workers

Shift work(night work)  what must I pay my workers.

a)   Shift workers (night workers) are defined as :

•  Work performed after 18H00 and before 06H00 the next day
• Employees must agree to work a night shift
• There must be transportation available to and from the employees place of residence
• There must be a payment of a shift allowance ( no prescribed minimum is mentioned.) or a reduction in working hours. ( I am not sure what the reduction in working hours means as it is not defined in the act. I can only think that that the employee is paid for 45 hours and only works 40 hours.
• Overtime work should be kept to a minimum.

b)   If the employee is required to work regularly after 23H00 and before 06H00 the next day then:

• The employee must be informed of any health hazards associated with the work that is being performed
• A right to undergo medical examinations whenever requested at the expense of the employer
• The right to be transferred to day work if the employee health is suffering as a result of the night work

(regularly is defined as working for longer than 1 hour after 23H00 and before 06H00 at least 5 times per month or 50 times a year.)

The shift worker must be paid a shift allowance and should be shown on the pay slip as a separate earning and on the IRP 5 under code 3601

Download code of good practice for night shift workers