Year-end and public holidays: what are the rules?

The last public holiday of the year 2020 is Friday 25 December.

It is also possible that a substitute day for a public holiday that coincided with a regular day of inactivity in 2020 could fall in the month of December 2020.

Brief reminder of the rules...

Public holiday of 25 December 2020

The employer may not employ staff on the public holiday of 25 December 2020; he is obliged to pay them for that day.

However, in certain circumstances, the employer is allowed to employ staff on that day.

If this is the case, time off in lieu will be granted to the employees concerned within 6 weeks after 25 December 2020. This time off in lieu will be deducted from working time.

For details on how to apply this time off in lieu, please consult the notice that was posted in your business before 15 December 2019.

Substitute day for a public holiday that coincides with a day of inactivity in 2020

In many companies, several public holidays coincided with regular days of inactivity in 2020, for example, Saturday 15 August and Sunday 1 November.

These public holidays have been substituted by regular days of activity of which the dates have been fixed in accordance with a specific procedure.

To find out if one or more substitute days in your company fall during December 2020, consult the notice that was posted before 15 December 2019.

Substitute days shall take the status of public holidays and shall be paid for by the employer.

Please note! Other rules apply with respect to the taking of statutory leave, extra-legal leave and days of reduced working time before the end of the year 2020.