[latch]

A couple points. First, some of the labour laws that I've seen actually _explicitly_ forbid such agreements because they are afraid it'll lead to abuse...kinda like "agree to work a 20 hour shift or you're fired." The strictest I've seen for this is around minimum wage and minimum vacation time. Simply, there are some rights you can't give away because it would too easily lead to people taking them away.

Secondly, sleep is a basic human right. It's possible that you just take it for granted.

[nhangen]

That's the problem - you see the employer as a bad guy taking away someone's sleep, but the employee has a choice no?

Are you going to argue next that having a job, with perfect hours and perfect pay, is also a right?

[ido]

AFAIK in the western world this sort of "freedom" is only available in the USA (if at all, I am not that familiar with the laws over there).

In Austria it is illegal[1] not to offer compensation for working overtime, and I'll bet it is the same in NZ as well.

[1] http://www.wko.at/ubit/kv/IT-KV_2011.pdf