Regulation of Work Breaks in Hungary with a European Perspective

Abstract

The basis for the review of the Hungarian and European rules of the rest break during the working day was the fact that there was a lawsuit to establish the illegitimacy of termination, in which I represented the plaintiff. The reason for the summary dismissal on the part of the employer was that the employee was playing cards while on a rest break during the working day. In his action, the plaintiff sought a declaration that his employer had unlawfully terminated his employment. By the judgment of the Court of First Instance, the action was dismissed, and the plaintiff was ordered to bear the court costs. By the judgment of the Court of Law proceeding by the plaintiff’s appeal, the judgement was reversed, and it ordered the defendant to pay the plaintiff severance pay as well as compensation. The defendant presented an application for review, which was not upheld. After completing the matters of fact, the Court of Appeal correctly stated that, at the time of the inspection, the plaintiff availed himself of a rest break during the working day, which was lawful; moreover, it was not disputed by the defendant. The Court of Appeal rightly concluded that the employer may prohibit the employee from playing cards during breaks in the workplace, but this must be communicated unequivocally to him, and this expectation must be consequently carried out. The Court of Appeal also rightly pointed out that in the case of explicit prohibition of some behaviours, employees must also be informed of the legal consequences, which are applicable in case of infringement of the rule. However, in the present case, this was not established, so that the lawsuit ended with the full recovery of a favourable judgment of the employee plaintiff at the Supreme Court of Justice.