Switching to winter time on 26 October: will it affect pay?

On Sunday, 26 October 2025, we will switch back to winter time at 3 a.m. The clock will be turned back one hour (3 a.m. becomes 2 a.m.), giving us an extra hour of sleep that night. But does this also mean extra pay for some workers?

Clock changing from summer to winter time

This AI-generated translation may contain errors and should not be considerd legal advice. For accurate info, refer to the Dutch or French version or consult your Securex Legal Advisor.

For some, an impact on pay

For employees working during the night of 25 to 26 October 2025, this transition may affect their pay.

A collective agreement made by the National Labour Council outlines how this pay should be calculated. The agreement applies to employees:

In shift work,
Who are not paid a flat monthly rate (this generally applies to manual workers)
And who are working during the transition.

If the same shift works during the time change in summer and winter

Whenever possible, the shift that worked during the transition to summer time should also work during the transition to winter time. This helps maintain balance: if a normal shift works 8 hours, these employees will work 7 hours and 9 hours respectively during these two nights. The pay for both nights will be the normal pay for a night shift (8 hours).

If a different shift works during the time change in summer and winter

If it is not possible for the same shift to work during both nights, the pay should be calculated as follows:

Employees who work only 7 hours due to the transition to summer time will still receive pay based on 8 hours of work.
Employees who work 9 hours due to the transition to winter time will receive pay based on 9 hours of work.

Examples of Thomas, Aline, and Mark

Thomas will work in a shift from 10 PM to 6 AM on the night of 25 to 26 October 2025. He was also in the shift that worked during the transition to summer time.

Aline will also work in a shift from 10 PM to 6 AM on the night of 25 to 26 October 2025. Unlike Thomas, she was not in the shift that worked during the transition to summer time in March.

Finally, there is Mark. He was only in the shift that was active during the transition to summer time at the end of March. He will not be in the shift that works on the night of 25 to 26 October 2025.

	Shift work during the transition to summer time AND during the transition to winter time	Shift work only during the transition to winter time	Shift work only during the transition to summer time
Number of hours for calculating pay	Thomas will be paid for 8 hours each time	Aline will be paid for 9 hours	Mark will be paid for 8 hours

When an employee works during the time change but is not in a shift work system, the NAR collective agreement does not apply. The pay is then calculated based on the number of hours worked, so for work from 10 PM to 6 AM, it will be 7 hours during the transition to summer time and 9 hours during the transition to winter time.