Short answer. Yes, but only if the workload genuinely qualifies. Article 92 of the Labor Code lets an employer require rest-day work in the event of abnormal pressure of work due to special circumstances, where the employer cannot ordinarily be expected to resort to other measures. Routine business volume alone does not automatically meet that standard.
What the law says
The employer may require his employees to work on any day
Labor Code, Article 92 — Work On A Rest Day. Read the full provision →
What the law says
In the event of abnormal pressure of work due to special circumstances, where the employer cannot ordinarily be expected to resort to other measures
Labor Code, Article 92 — Work On A Rest Day. Read the full provision →
The general rule and where this ground fits
Article 92 does not let an employer schedule rest-day work whenever it wants; it lists specific situations in which it may. The employer may require his employees to work on any day under one of those listed situations, and the one relevant here is abnormal pressure of work due to special circumstances, where the employer cannot ordinarily be expected to resort to other measures. A heavy workload has to rise to that description before it justifies requiring you to work on your rest day.
What makes pressure of work 'abnormal'
The word choice matters: the article says abnormal pressure, tied to special circumstances, not simply a busy period. A workload that is heavier than usual because of ordinary business fluctuations sits differently from one caused by something out of the ordinary for that workplace. The article is written around a real deviation from normal operating conditions, not the routine ebb and flow of demand a business experiences over time.
Why the 'no other measures' condition matters
The ground also requires that the employer cannot ordinarily be expected to resort to other measures. That qualifier means the abnormal workload has to be the kind of situation where alternatives to pulling employees in on their rest day are not realistically available, not simply a situation where rest-day work happens to be the most convenient option for the employer at that moment.
This is one of several listed grounds, not a general excuse
Article 92 lists this abnormal-workload ground alongside other specific situations — disasters and calamities, urgent machinery repair, perishable goods, and operations that cannot be stopped without loss — each tied to a genuine, non-routine necessity. Reading the abnormal-workload ground in that company underscores that it is meant for real, unusual pressure, not as a catch-all justification for requiring rest-day work whenever business happens to be brisk. The article binds employers generally; it does not carve out exceptions by industry or company size, so the same abnormal-pressure standard applies whether the workplace is a small shop or a large enterprise. An employer who requires rest-day work without a ground the article actually recognizes has not complied with Article 92, whatever internal policy or convenience prompted the request.