One can go to a liberation festival on Friday, while the other just has to sit in the office all day. Liberation Day is officially a national holiday, but that does not give any guarantees. What’s the situation exactly?
The day we celebrate the liberation of our country was given the status of a national holiday in 1990. But that doesn’t automatically make it a day off. Whether you can actually celebrate a liberation party depends on your collective labor agreement or employment contract. It specifies whether or not you have to work on Liberation Day.
Next lustrum day in 2025
In most workplaces it has been agreed that the staff will only have an official day off once every five years at the expense of the boss, on the lustrum days. The next time will be on May 5, 2025.
And some sectors always continue to operate during the holidays, such as supermarkets, healthcare and catering. Shops are also allowed to open their doors on Liberation Day.
Official day off in the car industry
There are also companies that choose to release their employees every year. For many civil servants, for example, May 5 is a day off every year. These are, for example, employees of the national government and in education. This also applies to pupils and students.
And in the car industry it has also been established that May 5 is an official day off every year.
The National Committee for May 4 and 5 has been urging for some time to make May 5 a legal fixed day off for everyone. So far, the government has not responded.
Fortunately, for most of us there are many extra holidays in the spring months of April and May, even without Liberation Day:
- Good Friday
- Easter (Easter Monday and Easter Monday)
- Royal day
- Ascension Day
- Pentecost (first and second day of Pentecost)