According to the Labour Code, contracted employees are entitled to an extra day off if a public holiday falls on a Saturday – but only if Saturday is a scheduled day off for them.
Legal basis
Article 130 § 2 of the Labour Code indicates that each public holiday falling during the settlement period and falling on a day other than Sunday reduces working time by 8 hours. This means that if a holiday falls on a Saturday and it is a day off from the schedule for a given employee, the employer must designate another day off in the same pay period.
Time off for a public holiday on a Saturday
Saturday is a public holiday in most companies due to the five-day working week. Therefore, if a holiday falls on a Saturday – which is a day off anyway – the employee ‘loses’ a public holiday. To avoid this, it is necessary to grant an additional day off at another time.
However, it is worth remembering that if Saturday is a working day for the employee (e.g. in trade, catering or production), the additional day off is not due – the employee simply does not work on the particular public holiday Saturday.
Additional day off in 2025
In 2025 we have two holidays falling on a Saturday:
- 3 May (Constitution Day) – Saturday,
- 1 November (All Saints’ Day) – Saturday.
For employees covered by the standard working system (Monday-Friday), this means two additional days off to be designated by the employer.
Practical suggestions:
- For 3 May – it may be worth considering 2 May (Friday), which will extend the May weekend without the need for a holiday,
- For 1 November – the logical choice might be 10 November (Monday before 11 November), creating a long weekend.
When and how to take a day off?
The extra day off is due in the same reference period as the holiday falling on Saturday.
The reference period can be monthly, quarterly or yearly – depending on the working time system. There is no obligation for the day off to fall exactly after the holiday – it can also be before it.
Who decides the date of a day off?
It is the employer who sets the date of the day off. He can do this:
- arbitrarily, indicating a specific date for everyone,
- in agreement with the employees (e.g. after consultation with the team),
- flexibly, allowing employees to choose the date within the pay period,
- rotational, dividing employees into groups that take time off on different days.
Does a contractor or B2B person also get a day off?
No. An additional day off for a public holiday on Saturday is only granted to employees with an employment contract.
Those working under a contract of mandate, contract to perform a specific task or a B2B contract are not covered by this provision – their days off depend solely on the agreement with their contractor or principal.
Summary
An extra day off for a holiday falling on a Saturday is not a privilege but an obligation for the employer under the Labour Code – as long as Saturday is not a working day. In 2025, there will be two such situations, and scheduling them appropriately can be an opportunity to optimise work schedules and extend weekends. It is worth remembering the obligation to schedule this day in the same pay period to avoid payment of overtime allowances and other employee claims.
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