Right to Rest of the Self-Employed under International and EU Law

Abstract

The main objective of the foregoing article will be to determine whether a self-employed person has the right to rest under international and EU law. According to the research conducted by the OECD, in 2021, the self-employment rate for all countries reached 16.5% of all employed persons. Therefore, bearing in mind that self-employed persons constitute such a large group of all people who provide paid work, it is justified to consider whether they may be entitled to the appropriate protective guarantees, also in the area of the right to rest. Appropriate rest includes not only the right to a holiday, but also a period of daily and weekly rest and the limitation of the maximum working time. The right to rest is also very important in terms of work efficiency and safety in the workplace. Therefore, efforts should be made to ensure that every contractor, including the self-employed, has the right to a proper rest in order to regenerate his strength and exercise the right to health and safety, which every person is entitled to according to international legal regulations.