The BOE has recently published the labor holidays assigned to the year 2019. The calendar includes the 12 holidays distributed by Autonomous Communities, and that must be completed with 2 local holidays that each municipality sets.
Holidays of each Autonomous Community
The Government has published in the Official Gazette of the State the calendar of national holidays and those corresponding to the Autonomous Communities for the year 2019.
The Workers’ Statute establishes 14 days per year as paid and non-recoverable rest periods (ET art.37). In any case they must be respected as national holidays: January 1 (New Year), May 1 (Labor Day), October 12 (National Holiday of Spain) and December 25 (Nativity of the Lord).
Along with these holidays, the other non-substitutable national holidays are fixed each year.
In setting the working holidays for the year 2019,the Autonomous Communities must respect the following non-substitutable national holidays:
- January 1: New Year;
- April 19: Good Friday;
- May 1: Labor Day;
- August 15: Assumption of the Virgin;
- October 12: National Holiday of Spain;
- November 1: All Saints;
- December 6: Day of the Spanish Constitution;
- December 25: Nativity of the Lord
The Autonomous Communities set, in addition to these holidays, another 4 days,either adopting substitutable national holidays, or, fixing festivities that – by tradition – are their own. In addition, they can move to Monday the holidays that coincide on Sunday.
The calendar of working holidays is completed with the 2 local holidays that are published in the official gazette of the corresponding province or autonomous community.
Work calendar 2019
For the year 2019, the following dates are set as public holidays:
National holidays
- January 1: New Year;
- April 19: Good Friday;
- May 1: Labor Day;
- August 15: Assumption of the Virgin;
- October 12: National Holiday of Spain;
- November 1: All Saints;
- December 6: Day of the Spanish Constitution;
- December 25: Nativity of the Lord
Regional Festivals
Andalusia:
- January 7 (Monday following the Epiphany of the Lord);
- February 28, Day of Andalusia;
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- December 9 (Monday following the Immaculate Conception).
Aragon:
- January 7 (Monday following the Epiphany of the Lord);
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- April 23, Saint George, Day of Aragon.
Asturias:
- January 7, Monday following the Epiphany of the Lord;
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- September 9 (Monday following Asturias Day);
- December 9 (Monday following the Immaculate Conception).
Canary Islands:
- January 7 (Monday following the Epiphany of the Lord);
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- May 30, Canary Islands Day.
Also in the Canary Islands:
- El Hierro: on September 24, feast of Our Lady of the Kings;
- Fuerteventura: on September 20, feast of Our Lady of the Rock;
- Gran Canaria: on September 9, Monday after the feast of Our Lady of the Pine;
- La Gomera: on October 7, feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe;
- La Palma: August 5, feast of Our Lady of the Snows;
- Lanzarote: on September 16, Monday after the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows;
- Tenerife: on February 2, feast of the Virgin of Candelaria.
Cantabria:
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- April 22, Easter Monday;
- July 25, James the Apostle;
- December 9 (Monday following the Immaculate Conception).
Castile-La Mancha:
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- April 22, Easter Monday;
- May 31, Day of Castilla-La Mancha.
- June 20, Corpus Christi;
Castile and León:
- January 7, (Monday following the Epiphany of the Lord);
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- April 23, Day of Castilla León;
- December 9, (Monday following the Immaculate Conception).
Catalonia:
- April 22, Easter Monday;
- June 24, San Juan;
- September 11, National Day of Catalonia;
- December 26, Saint Stephen.
* In the area of Aran, the feast of St. Stephen on December 26, is replaced by June 17, feast of Aran.
Community of Valencia:
- March 19, San Jose;
- April 22, Easter Monday;
- June 24, San Juan;
- October 9, Community Day
Extremadura:
- January 7, (Monday following the Epiphany of the Lord);
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- September 9, (Monday following the Day of Extremadura);
- December 9, (Monday following the Immaculate Conception).
Galicia:
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- May 17, Day of Galician Letters;
- July 25, National Day of Galicia.
Balearic Islands:
- March 1, Balearic Islands Day;
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- April 22, Easter Monday;
- December 26, Saint Stephen.
La Rioja:
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- April 22, Easter Monday;
- June 10, La Rioja Day;
- December 9, (Monday following the Immaculate Conception).
Madrid:
- January 7, (Monday following the Epiphany of the Lord);
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- May 2, Feast of the Community of Madrid;
- December 9, (Monday following the Immaculate Conception).
Murcia:
- January 7, (Monday following the Epiphany of the Lord);
- March 19, San Jose;
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- June 10, Day of the Region of Murcia.
Navarre:
- January 7, (Monday following the Epiphany of the Lord);
- March 19, San Jose;
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- April 22, Easter Monday.
Basque Country:
- March 19, San Jose;
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- April 22, Easter Monday;
- July 25, Santiago Apóstol.
C.A. Ceuta:
- January 7, (Monday following the Epiphany of the Lord);
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- August 12, Feast of the Passover of the Eidul Adha Sacrifice;
- September 2, Ceuta Day
C.A. Melilla:
- January 7, (Monday following the Epiphany of the Lord);
- April 18, Maundy Thursday;
- August 12, Feast of Sacrifice (Aid El Kebir).
How to set a holiday?
If you have your work schedule well arranged, but you’re not sure which days should be designated as holidays… what rules should I keep in mind?
Working holidays are provided for in the Workers’ Statute (ET) as paid and non-recoverable rest periods.
They may not exceed 14 days a year, of which two shall be of a local nature.
What should you know about how the authorities make the holiday calendar applicable to your company?
Different levels
1.National level: When preparing the work calendar, you must take into account that of the 14 annual labor holidays, will be respected, in any case, as national holidays those of: the Nativity of the Lord (December 25), New Year (January 1), May 1 as Labor Day and October 12 as National Holiday.
These four public holidays are fixed by the Workers’ Statute as permanent and immovable dates every year, and for the entire national territory.
Apart from the four holidays, the Central Administration will fix the remaining holidays, in the event that the Autonomous Communities (AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES) do not say anything. In addition, you can move to Monday any national holiday that takes place during the week. That is, if one of the four festivals planned as “mandatory” falls on a Sunday, it will be moved to the Monday immediately following, provided that the central government has not set a substitute party.
This rule would not be applicable in the rest of national holidays since, precisely because they are not fixed, the State will have already established them logically outside of Sunday.
2.Autonomic level: The Autonomous Communities may, within the annual limit of 14 public holidays:
- Point out those festivals that, by tradition, are your own; replacing those of national scope and, in any case, those that are moved to Monday.
- Move to Monday the holidays they deem appropriate.
If any autonomous community could not establish one of its traditional festivals (because it does not coincide on Sunday a sufficient number of festivals national) may, in the year in which this is the case, add one more party on a recoverable basis, up to a maximum of 14.
3.Local level: Each municipality can celebrate up to two annual local festivals, which will be determined by the competent labor authority and proposed by the plenary of the City Council.
These local festivals are considered “necessary law” and are therefore not susceptible to be affected by collective bargaining.
No enjoyment
Increment: When exceptionally, and for technical or organizational reasons, a worker is unable to enjoy the corresponding holiday, you must:
- or allow him a compensatory break
- or to increase by at least 75 per cent the wage corresponding to the hours worked on that holiday.
On the other hand, when a public holiday coincides on a Saturday or another day, you are not obliged to move that holiday, nor to give an additional rest or a remuneration higher than that corresponding to the ordinary day.
The aim pursued by the workers’ statute is achieved as long as people are excused from working on those dates. In this sense, he thinks that (normally) Saturday is considered a working day, like any other day of the week; except Sunday.
In any case, if you have any questions about how to set holidays in your company or how to apply them in your work calendar, you can contact us, and our team of advisors will be in charge of helping you.
