Double public holiday: what are your rights?

This Tuesday, January 16, 2024, the Chamber of Deputies approved bill 8826, which provides for the right to an additional compensatory day off when two public holidays fall on the same date.

This year, Europe Day and Ascension Day fall on the same day: Thursday May 9.

What are the specificities of double public holidays? What are your rights?

There are several possible scenarios:

• If a person normally works on this day (according to his/her employment contract), he/she will have a public holiday as well as another day of compensatory leave to be taken within the following 3 months;
• If the person had normally worked 4 hours or less, he or she would be entitled to 2 half-days of compensatory leave to be taken within the following 3 months;
• If the person does not work on that day (due to their employment contract), they will be entitled to two days of compensatory leave to be taken within the following 3 months;
• If the person is required to work on the public holiday, he or she will be paid at the normal rate for the day and the hours worked will be increased by 100% (200% for the banking and insurance sectors) and will also be entitled to a day's compensatory leave to be taken within 3 months.

All these conditions apply to employees and apprentices.

The important thing to remember is that these double public holidays give you an extra day's compensatory leave, whatever happens.