Working Hours and Overtime in Cuba

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Cuba?

An employee whose age is 17 or younger has a maximum of 6 hours per day and 36 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 44 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 30 minutes must be observed by employees who work more than 6 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 8:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Cuba

In Cuba, the general statutory limit for adult employees is 8 hours per day and 44 hours per week, usually spread over five or six days. You must organize schedules so that the daily and weekly limits are not exceeded on a regular basis, unless a specific legal exception applies. Any arrangement that regularly pushes employees beyond these limits risks being treated as unlawful overtime.

Collective agreements or internal regulations may distribute hours unevenly across the week, provided the average does not exceed 44 hours over the applicable reference period. When you introduce compressed workweeks or rotating shifts, you must document the pattern in writing and communicate it clearly to employees. You are also responsible for maintaining accurate time records to demonstrate compliance during inspections.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules. In essential or continuous-process services, authorities may authorize longer daily shifts, provided that equivalent compensatory rest is granted and the 44-hour weekly average is respected. You should always verify whether a sectoral regulation or collective agreement imposes stricter limits than the general Labor Code.

• Healthcare professionals may work 12-hour shifts with extended rest periods.
• Transport workers must comply with EU-aligned rest and driving limits.
• Manufacturing and security staff often rotate through night or weekend shifts.

Even in these sectors, you must ensure the average weekly limit is respected over a reference period. You should monitor rosters to ensure that extended shifts are offset by longer rest periods and that employees are not systematically scheduled at the maximum limits. Written justification for exceptional schedules is advisable in case of labor inspections.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managers and certain trusted employees in Cuba may have broader flexibility in their schedules, but they are not completely outside the framework of working-time protections. Their contracts should clearly state that the role involves irregular or extended hours and specify whether the salary is deemed to cover a certain amount of overtime. Without such clarity, disputes may arise over whether additional hours must be paid separately.

Even for exempt or managerial staff, you should avoid workloads that systematically exceed 8 hours per day and 44 hours per week without adequate rest. Authorities can still intervene if working conditions are considered harmful to health or safety, regardless of job title. Keeping at least basic records of attendance for managers helps demonstrate that you are not abusing any exemption.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Cuba

In Cuba, full-time work is generally understood as 44 hours per week for adult employees, typically organized as 8 hours per day over five and a half days. Some workplaces adopt a 40-hour week by collective agreement, but this is a contractual improvement rather than a statutory requirement. You should specify in each employment contract whether the position is based on 40 or 44 hours per week.

Part-time arrangements involve a lower number of contractual hours, but the same rules on daily limits, rest, and overtime still apply proportionally. When employees regularly work beyond their agreed part-time hours, those additional hours may be treated as overtime once they exceed the full-time threshold of 44 hours per week. Clear documentation of contracted hours and any agreed variations is essential to avoid misclassification disputes.

Overtime Regulations In Cuba

In Cuba, you must closely control and document any hours worked beyond the standard 8 hours per day or 44 hours per week. Overtime generally requires prior employer authorization, and you are responsible for keeping accurate daily and weekly records for each employee. Failure to track and compensate overtime correctly can lead to back-pay orders, fines, and potential reputational damage.

What Counts As Overtime In Cuba?

Overtime in Cuba is typically any time worked beyond 8 hours in a day or 44 hours in a week for adult employees. Work performed on an employee’s weekly rest day or on an official public holiday is also treated as overtime, even if the weekly total does not exceed 44 hours. You should define in your internal policies that overtime must be expressly requested or approved by a supervisor to avoid uncontrolled extra hours.

On-call time that requires the employee to remain at the workplace or respond immediately to calls is usually counted as working time and can generate overtime once thresholds are exceeded. If you use flexible schedules or averaging arrangements, overtime is generally assessed against the average weekly hours over the agreed reference period, not just a single busy week. Always ensure that employees receive the correct premium or compensatory rest when they are asked to work on rest days or holidays.

Maximum Overtime In Cuba

Under Cuban practice, overtime is intended to be exceptional and is numerically limited. As a general guideline, you should not schedule more than 4 hours of overtime per day and 16 hours of overtime per week for any individual employee. This means that total working time should not normally exceed 12 hours in a single day or 60 hours in a week, including overtime.

Across a longer period, many workplaces apply an annual ceiling of approximately 160 hours of overtime per employee, unless a sectoral rule sets a lower limit. If you need to exceed these indicative caps due to emergencies or production peaks, you should obtain prior approval from the relevant labor authority or union body and document the justification. Persistent reliance on overtime near or above these limits can trigger inspections and demands to adjust staffing levels.

Overtime Payout Rates In Cuba

In Cuba, overtime hours worked on a regular working day are commonly paid at a premium of at least 150% of the employee’s normal hourly wage, that is, 1.5x the base rate. When employees work overtime on their weekly rest day or on a Saturday that is normally off, the premium is typically at least 200% of the normal hourly wage, or 2.0x. You should state these multipliers clearly in contracts or internal regulations to avoid ambiguity.

Work performed on official public holidays is usually compensated at a higher premium of at least 250% of the normal hourly wage, or 2.5x, or by combining a 1.5x–2.0x cash premium with a paid substitute rest day. If you use monthly salaries, you must still be able to show how the salary covers the standard 44 hours and how any overtime premium is calculated on top. Always calculate overtime based on the employee’s regular earnings, including fixed allowances that form part of normal pay.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Cuba

In Cuba, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 44 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to protect health within these limits. During the working day, employees are entitled to a meal break once they work more than 6 hours, and they must also receive daily and weekly rest between shifts. As an employer, you must schedule and document these breaks so they fit logically within your standard working hours pattern.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 hours in a day must receive at least a 30-minute unpaid or paid meal break, usually scheduled around the middle of the shift. You should ensure that operational demands do not prevent employees from actually taking this break.
• Daily Rest: Between the end of one workday and the start of the next, employees in Cuba should generally receive a continuous daily rest period of at least 12 hours. Organizing split shifts or late-night work must respect this minimum interval.
• Weekly Rest: Employees are entitled to at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, commonly on Sunday, in addition to their daily rest. If business needs require Sunday work, you must provide a substitute rest day during the same week.
• Minors: Workers under 18 in Cuba benefit from stricter rest protections, including shorter daily limits and longer rest intervals. You should avoid scheduling minors for evening or night work and must always respect their 6-hour daily and 36-hour weekly caps.
• Employer Duty: You are responsible for designing rosters that comply with statutory rest rules and any collective agreement. Time records should clearly show when breaks and rest days occur so you can demonstrate compliance during inspections.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Cuba

Night and weekend work are legal in Cuba but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. You must ensure that staffing levels, health and safety measures, and compensation structures adequately reflect the higher strain associated with these schedules. Particular care is required when assigning vulnerable groups such as young or pregnant workers.

Night work in Cuba is generally understood as work performed between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., although specific collective agreements may refine this window. Any employee whose schedule regularly falls within this period should be treated as a night worker for purposes of health monitoring and premium pay. You should clearly label night shifts in rosters so that employees and inspectors can easily identify them.

• Premium Pay: Regular night work in Cuba is commonly compensated with a premium of at least 130% of the normal hourly wage, or 1.3x, for hours worked between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Some collective agreements in demanding sectors raise this premium to 150%, or 1.5x, and you must apply the higher rate if it is contractually agreed.
• Health Monitoring: Employees who regularly perform night work should receive periodic medical examinations to monitor fatigue, sleep disorders, and other health impacts. You should adjust schedules or reassign workers if medical advice indicates that continued night work would be harmful.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 are generally prohibited from night work in Cuba, especially in hazardous environments. Pregnant and breastfeeding workers should not be assigned to night shifts, and if they previously worked nights, you must transfer them to daytime duties without reducing their basic pay.

Weekend work, particularly on Sundays, is permitted in Cuba when justified by the nature of the business or continuous operations. Employees who work on their weekly rest day should receive a substitute rest day and a premium of at least 200% of the normal hourly wage, or 2.0x, for those hours. You should plan weekend rosters in advance and avoid repeatedly assigning the same employees to Sunday work without rotation.