Working shifts in roadside assistance

Shifts exist because breakdowns do not keep office hours – and Portuguese law frames them with mandatory minimum rest and limits on shift length and, for those who work at night, free health checks and, as a rule, 25% more pay. What the law does not set is a shift allowance – where there is one, it comes from a collective agreement or from the contract. And the actual rota for this operation is not published anywhere.

Why there are shifts in Roadside Assistance

There are four German-speaking roles, all 100% remote, in two projects. In Roadside Assistance – roadside assistance by phone, with the driver stranded on the road – shifts are mandatory, as is fluent English. In Automotive Service – product support across several channels – the posting requires neither: it does not mention shifts and lists English as preferred.

The reason is simple: breakdowns do not only happen during office hours.

What I cannot tell you, to be completely honest

The actual rota is not published. The postings say there are shifts. They do not say how many, how they rotate, how far in advance you know them, or how weekends work. I am not going to invent one. Hence the questions to ask:

What is the rotation cycle, and how many weeks long is it?
How far in advance do you get the shift schedule?
Is there a night shift, and is it rotating or fixed?
Is there a shift allowance, and on what basis?

Whoever is recruiting has these answers. The posting does not.

What the law guarantees you when you work shifts

Everything that follows is from the Portuguese Labour Code, in the consolidated version published by the Authority for Working Conditions (ACT). Shift work, under Article 220, means occupying the same post in succession at different times over days or weeks. What the law requires:

Limit per shift. No shift may exceed the maximum limits of normal working time – Article 221(3).
Changing shifts. Only after the weekly rest – Article 221(4).
Your preferences count. Shifts should, as far as possible, follow the workers' interests – Article 221(2).
Daily rest. Eleven consecutive hours, at least – Article 214(1).
Weekly rest. One day a week, at least – Article 232.
Health and safety. Protection equivalent to that of other workers – Article 222.

Breaching paragraphs 3, 4, 5 or 6 of Article 221 is a serious administrative offence.

What if the shift is at night?

This is where the law gets stricter.

What counts as night. Seven to eleven hours that include the period between midnight and 5 am. Without a definition in a collective agreement, it is from 10 pm to 7 am – Article 223. A night worker is someone who does at least three hours of normal night work a day – Article 224(1).

Health. Free, confidential health checks before you start and then at least once a year. Risks reassessed every six months. And a move to day work, whenever possible, if nights are bad for you – Article 225.

Money. Night work is paid at 25% more than equivalent work during the day – Article 266(1). A collective agreement can replace this with shorter hours or a fixed increase in base pay, as long as it is not worse for you – paragraph 2. Breaching paragraph 1 is a very serious administrative offence.

Pregnant workers, workers who have recently given birth and breastfeeding workers are entitled to be exempted from work between 8 pm and 7 am during a period around childbirth and, outside it, when this is necessary for their health or the child's – Article 60.

The shift allowance does not come from the law

The Labour Code does not provide for a shift allowance – the term does not appear in it. What it has is the 25% supplement for night work. The allowance, where there is one, comes from a collective agreement or from the contract. If it matters to you, check that it is written into the contract before you sign it.

What shifts cost, said plainly

Shift work can disrupt your sleep, and you cannot always catch up at the weekend. You may miss dinners and birthdays that fall on the wrong shift. Remote work saves you the commute, not your body clock.

Some people prefer varying hours. But an honest decision is made with both sides in view.

What if I don't want shifts?

Then look at Automotive Service. It is the only one of the four roles whose posting does not ask for shifts – and also the only one where English is preferred, not mandatory. The posting does not describe the working hours either, so do not read it as a guarantee of fixed hours. The conditions and the salary band are on the job page.

How many shifts are there, and how do they rotate?

That has not been published. The postings confirm there are shifts and do not describe the rota. It is a question for whoever is recruiting.

Does night work always pay 25% more?

As a rule, yes: Article 266 sets that supplement. But the same article provides for exceptions, for example where pay has already been set taking night work into account. And a collective agreement can replace it with shorter hours or a fixed increase in base pay, as long as it does not leave you worse off.

Am I entitled to a shift allowance?

Not under the Labour Code, which does not provide for one. It depends on the collective agreement or the contract.

What if shifts are bad for my health?

If you are a night worker, you are entitled to free health checks, at least once a year, and if you have a health problem linked to night work, the employer must, whenever possible, move you to day work – Article 225. For shift work in general, Article 222 requires health and safety protection suited to that type of work.

Portuguese Labour Code (Law no. 7/2009), consolidated version published by the Authority for Working Conditions (ACT). Articles 60, 214, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 232 and 266. Opened and checked on 2026-09-17 – https://portal.act.gov.pt/AnexosPDF/Legisla%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20nacional/C%C3%B3digo%20do%20trabalho.pdf
Junior Contact Center Agent (Roadside Assistance) posting, with shifts and fluent English mandatory – https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4437163513/
Contact Center Agent (Automotive Service) posting, with no shift requirement and with English preferred – https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4443941309/
Shift allowance: searched for in the full text of the ACT document above. The term does not appear.