Center for Economic and Policy Research • 13
In addition to annual leave, employees are entitled to nine public holidays: New Year’s Day, St.
Patrick’s Day, Easter Monday, the first Monday in the months of May, June, August, and October,
Christmas Day, and St. Stephen’s Day (December 26). Employers may choose to give employees
these holidays as paid days off, or compensate them with a different paid day of leave within that
month, an additional day’s annual leave, or an additional day’s pay. If holidays fall on an employee’s
day off, and the employee cannot claim it as a day off of work, the employer may give the worker an
additional 20 percent of her usual weekly pay as compensation. Part-time workers must have
worked at least 40 hours in the five weeks before the holiday to receive this benefit.
18
Italy
Workers in Italy are covered by the European Union Working Time Directive, which guarantees
four weeks of annual leave per full-time employee.
19
In addition, Italy observes 12 public holidays:
New Year’s Day, Epiphany (January 6), Liberation Day (April 25), Easter Monday, Labour Day
(May 1), Republic Day (June 2), Assumption (August 15), All Saints’ Day (November 1), Immaculate
Conception (December 8), Christmas (December 25), St. Stephen’s Day (December 26), and the
festival of the local patron saint. These are treated as paid days off. If a holiday falls on a Sunday or
another day not usually worked, workers receive one additional day’s pay. If a worker must work on
that day, they receive a bonus for doing so.
20
Japan
Annual leave is covered by the Labor Standards Law of 1947 (last amended in 1995). Employees are
eligible for ten working days’ annual leave once they have worked at least six months, and reported
to work at least 80 percent of their scheduled workdays (not counting days off for work-related
accidents or injuries, or for child care or maternity leave). After 18 months of employment, they
receive one additional working day’s leave for each year of their tenure, up to a total of 20 working
days, although there is no guarantee of pay for public holidays. While the employee generally has
the right to schedule the leave according to her own wishes, the employer may move the scheduled
leave if it interferes with business operations. Exceptions to this provision include workers in family
businesses that employ only cohabiting relatives, farm workers, domestic employees, and supervisors
of employees handling confidential matters.
21
Netherlands
Workers in the Netherlands receive four weeks’ vacation each year. Employers should schedule this
leave, but after consulting with employees, and with sufficient advance notice for the employees to
plan vacations. If possible, leave should be scheduled as one continuous period and should fall
between April 30 and October 1. However, if the business requires it or the worker requests it,
leave can be split into periods of at least two weeks. The Netherlands has only two national
holidays, Queen’s Day (April 30) and Liberation Day (May 5), although many employers also
18
“Living and Working Conditions: Ireland.” 2004. Database entry in EC (n.d.) a. Accessed 27 March 2007.
[http://europa.eu.int/eures/main.jsp?countryId=IE&acro=living&lang=en&parentId=0].
19
EU 2003.
20
“Living and Working Conditions: Italy.” 2005. Database entry in EC (n.d.) a. Accessed 27 March 2007.
[http://europa.eu.int/eures/main.jsp?countryId=IT&acro=living&lang=en&parentId=0].
21
Japan 1999, 2002.