Public holidays and bridges in the private sector (2024)

General case

Among the legal celebrations, only the 1^to may is obligatorily unemployed for all employees (all companies and categories).

By exception, the employee can work on 1^to may be employed in a company which, due to the nature of the activity, cannot interrupt the work (e.g. hospitals, public transport).

Other holidays shall be non-working days if provision is made for:

• by company or establishment agreement (or, failing that, by branch agreement or agreement)
• or, in the absence of an agreement or agreement, by the employer

The employee shall not be required to recover unworked hours during an unworked holiday.

No additional leave may be claimed if a non-working holiday falls on a day not normally worked (unless treaty provisions shall).

Employee under 18

An employee or apprentice under the age of 18 may not work on statutory holidays except in the following sectors:

• Hospitality, catering, catering or reception organizer
• Coffee, tobacco or beverage
• Bakery, pastry shop, butcher's shop, cold cuts, dairy-creamery, fish shop
• Companies in other sectors primarily engaged in the manufacture of foodstuffs for immediate consumption or whose exclusive activity is the retail sale of foodstuffs
• Flower shop, gardening and grain store
• Shows

An employee or apprentice under 18 years of age who works on a holiday shall be granted a weekly rest period of at least 36 consecutive hours.

General case

Unemployment on public holidays may not result in any loss of wages for an employee who has completed at least 3 months of service in the company.

Seasonal employees who have signed various contracts of employment in the undertaking (successive or not) shall also be paid in full if their total cumulative seniority is at least 3 months.

Payment of public holidays is not due (except treaty provisions or usage in the more favorable enterprise) for the following employees:

• Home worker
• Intermittent employee
• Temporary employee (however, the non-working holiday must be paid to the temporary employee as soon as that holiday is included in his mission)

Special case of 1 May

1^to May is a public holiday.

Unemployment of the 1^to may not be a cause for wage reduction.

Employees who are paid by hour, day or performance are entitled to compensation equal to the wages lost as a result of this unemployment. This allowance shall be paid by the employer.

Employee who works on 1^to may benefit from the doubling of his remuneration.

General case

Solidarity day shall take the form of an additional working day per year without remuneration.

It may provide for:

• The work of a previously non-working holiday other than the 1^to May
• Or a day's work RTT under an agreement on the organization of working time
• Or any other organizational mode allowing the work of 7 hours previously not worked (working on a Saturday, for example)

The conditions for the accomplishment of this day are set:

• Either by agreement of enterprise or establishment or by agreement of branch
• Or, in the absence of an agreement or agreement, by the employer after consulting the Social and Economic Committee

Solidarity Day shall not be remunerated, subject to:

• That is 7 hours for monthly employees, reduced in proportion to the contractual duration in the case of part-time work
• A day of work for the employee who works on a fixed day

Hours worked during the Solidarity Day shall not be considered as overtime.

Employee who has already completed the Solidarity Day

Due to a change of employer, an employee may have already worked an additional day during the current year as part of the Solidarity Day.

In this case, if he is required to complete a new solidarity day, the hours worked shall be remunerated and shall be regarded as overtime. These hours give rise to compulsory consideration in the form of rest.

An employee may refuse to work that additional day without such refusal being a fault or grounds for dismissal.