1. When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, am I entitled to a compensatory day off?

Yes. The labour code provides that a statutory public holiday falling on a Sunday (as will be the case in 2026 with All Saints’ Day) gives access to a compensatory day off. According to the labour code, this must be taken within three months of the public holiday in question. In practice, some employers do better than the law and are more tolerant.

If service requirements make it impossible to meet this deadline, then the compensatory leave must be taken before the end of the current year. For public holidays in the November-December period, it runs until the end of March of the following year.

Sunday work must be declared in advance to the Inspectorate of Labour and Mines (ITM).

2. What happens if I have to work on a public holiday?

If you work on that day, you are entitled to your usual salary for the day plus 100% extra pay for the hours worked on that day.

If the public holiday falls on a Sunday, you’re entitled to your usual salary, a 100% premium for each hour worked on a public holiday, a 70% premium for the hours worked on a Sunday and a compensatory day of leave.

3. Can I refuse to work on a public holiday if my employer asks me to?

In principle, working on public holidays is prohibited, except in certain sectors (health, hotels and restaurants, security, transport, etc.). If you work in one of these sectors, your employer may ask you to be present on a public holiday. Provided, of course, that you comply with the statutory compensation arrangements.

4. Are public holidays paid if they occur during a period of leave or illness?

Yes. If a public holiday falls during a period of paid leave, illness or accident, it is not deducted from your entitlement.

Say, for example, you’re on leave from Monday to Friday inclusive, and Thursday is a public holiday (as will be the case this 1 May). You therefore only use up four days of leave, not five.

5. Are part-time employees and employees on fixed-term contracts entitled to public holidays like everyone else?

Yes, part-time employees and employees on fixed-term contracts are entitled to statutory public holidays in accordance with the principle of equal treatment. For part-time employees, the arrangements vary depending on their timetable.

If a public holiday falls on a day on which the employee would normally have worked more than four hours, the day is not worked and is remunerated at the rate of the hours that would have been worked.

If the public holiday falls on a day on which the employee would have worked four hours or less, the employee is entitled to pay for the hours scheduled for that day, plus half a day’s compensatory leave.

Finally, if the public holiday falls on a day on which the employee would not have worked, the employee is entitled to a day of compensatory leave, to be taken within three months of the day after the public holiday concerned.

6. Can an employer move a public holiday to another date?

No. A statutory public holiday cannot be moved unilaterally by the employer. The date is set by law, so it applies to everyone.

However, some companies may offer their employees, by collective or company agreement, to replace a public holiday not worked--for example a Saturday, as will happen on 1 November this year, as well as 9 May, 15 August and 26 December in 2026--with another collective day off.

7. Are public holidays the same throughout the country or are there local public holidays?

The 11 statutory public holidays are the same throughout Luxembourg. However, there may also be local or traditional public holidays, which do not have to be observed, but which may be according to regional practices or internal company agreements.

8. What happens if a public holiday falls during my parental leave or maternity/paternity leave?

The public holiday is not “recoverable” if it falls during maternity, paternity or parental leave. This is because such leave is not treated as actual work or “traditional” paid leave. The employee remains on leave and the public holiday is simply included in the period of absence.

9. Can collective agreements make more favourable provisions for public holidays?

Yes, and in fact this is often the case. The labour code lays down a minimum framework, but nothing prevents a collective agreement, a company agreement or an individual contract from providing for a higher markup for work on public holidays or additional public holidays.

10. In terms of the number of public holidays, how does Luxembourg compare to its neighbours?

Luxembourg has 11 statutory public holidays per year.

This is the same number as in France (with the exception of regional variations, such as in Alsace-Moselle, where Good Friday and 26 December are public holidays), more than in Belgium (10) and less than in certain German länder, where the number can climb to 13 or even 14 (the number of national public holidays is, however, capped at nine).

The average number of statutory public holidays in EU countries is 12 per year. This figure varies from country to country, ranging from nine (Netherlands) to 15 (Slovakia).

This article was originally published in .