May 1
No big demonstrations, parties and not even a day off. The international holiday Labor Day (May 1) passes quietly in the Netherlands. But strangely enough there is no trading on the Amsterdam stock exchange on this day. Why is the Netherlands not free on this international holiday?
In almost all of Europe people have this day off. May 1 as a holiday has its origins in the United States. There, unions struck in the 19th century for an 8-hour working day. Workers in Europe also took up this demand and went on strike and demonstrated for this purpose.
Although it became an official day off in the countries around us, this has never been the case in the Netherlands. Sometimes it became a day off locally. One professional group is the exception. In the collective labor agreement for cleaners, May 1 is designated as a day off. They can choose whether they are free on Labor Day or on their birthday.
Why is it not a day off in the Netherlands?
In the Netherlands, with the exception of the special municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, it is not an official holiday. There are several explanations for this. Between 1949 and 2013 we celebrated Queen’s Day on April 30, just one day before Labor Day.
In addition, we in the Netherlands have had less bloody confrontations in the battle for better employment conditions than, for example, France or Spain. Working conditions gradually improved, causing the battle day to fade into the background.
Why is the Amsterdam stock exchange closed?
At the beginning of this century, the Amsterdam stock exchange merged with those of Paris and Brussels. Later Lisbon was added. That merger was the reason to equalize the trading days.
The days on which the European Central Bank’s payment systems are closed were then determined. As a result, the Amsterdam stock exchange does trade on the national holiday, King’s Day, but not on May 1.
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