23.04.2024

WHAT RIGHTS DO EMPLOYEES HAVE WHEN WORKING ON PUBLIC HOLIDAYS?

Although in 2024 the public holiday May 6 - St. George's Day coincides with the fourth day off from the Easter holidays - Monday, it is not compensated by an absent day.

According to the Labor Code, only on official holidays that coincide with Saturday and/or Sunday, the first or the first two working days after them are absent.

The four Easter bank holidays are also excluded from this provision, as they are always from Friday to Monday and are not legally compensated by additional days off. Given the lack of grounds for extending the Easter holiday in 2024 with absence days, the first working day after it is Tuesday - May 7.

The Labor Inspectorate reminds that according to the Labor Code, the four days off for Easter - from May 3 to May 6 inclusive - are declared public holidays, therefore the employer owes a minimum double increase for their work conditions. If the work is also overtime, it is also paid with an additional 100% increase.

For those working on an irregular working day or with daily accounting of working hours, the work done during public holidays, as well as on days off and days of absence, is always overtime.

Overtime work must be assigned by order of the employer, with which the workers must be informed at least 24 hours before the start of the overtime work.

For those working on a schedule - when calculating working hours in aggregate, working on a public holiday is not overtime and their wages should only be increased by 100%. Already with the introduction of the summary calculation of working hours, the employer is obliged to prepare a named schedule for the entire period, which cannot be longer than 4 months.

In the month of May, public holidays according to the Labor Code are Easter (03.05 - 06.05.2024), May 1 (Labor Day), May 6 (St. George's Day) and May 24 (Day of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, in the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture and of Slavic literature).

In order to protect their labor rights to the fullest extent, the Labor Inspectorate advises workers and employees to have written evidence that they have worked on holidays and non-attendance days, such as the overtime order or the roll call schedule.

If they believe that their rights have been violated, on the website of the Executive Agency of the Main Labor Inspectorate, in the section "Administrative services", detailed information on how to file reports is published.

During working hours, citizens can also contact the Agency's national telephone number 0700 17 670 for consultations.