CJEU extends concept of working time to cover time on-call in some circumstances

Press release from the Court of Justice of the European Union for case C-518/15 Ville de Nivelles v Rudy Matzak concerning a worker who was required to get to work within 8 minutes of being called while on stand-by -

Stand-by time of a worker at home who is obliged to respond to calls from the employer within a short period must be regarded as ‘working time’.

The obligation to remain physically present at the place determined by he employer and the requirement to reach the place of work within a short period very significantly restrict a worker’s opportunities for other activities.