ECJ 17 March 2021, Case C-585/19 (Academia de Studii Economice din Bucureşti), Working Time

• Summary

  Where a worker has concluded more than one employment contract with the same employer, the minimum daily rest period applies to the contracts taken as a whole and not to each of the contracts taken separately.

• Question

  Must Article 2(1) and Article 3 of Directive 2003/88 be interpreted as meaning that, where an employee has concluded several contracts of employment with the same employer, the minimum daily rest period provided for in Article 3 applies to those contracts taken together or to each of those contracts taken separately?

• Ruling

  Articles 2(1) and 3 of Directive 2003/88/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time must be interpreted as meaning that, where an employee has concluded several contracts of employment with the same employer, the minimum daily rest period provided for in Article 3 thereof applies to those contracts taken as a whole and not to each of those contracts taken separately.