What are the legal implications for workers who normally work only during the day but may be required to do an infrequent night shift?

It is important at the outset to consider the relevant wording regarding working hours contained in your contracts of employment. Where a worker does not have to work at night under their contract, you will usually need the worker’s agreement to change his or her hours as this will normally be a variation of their terms of employment. 

The law on working time will also be important in this context, especially if the workers are being required to work longer hours than usual. The Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 set out the rules on the maximum weekly working time and rest periods, both daily and weekly.

Under the Regulations, workers of any description cannot be forced