NOS News•today, 06:46
For many employees, Good Friday is the start of a period with a series of fixed days off, ending with Pentecost. Many companies and government organizations traditionally do not or hardly answer the telephone on those holidays, but that is slowly changing.
It is becoming increasingly easier for employees to exchange Whit Monday for Eid-al-Fitr, for example, according to employers’ association AWVN. “A few decades ago, employers were still very reluctant. But companies have noticed that the practical problems are not too bad or can be solved very easily.”
This is also reflected in the collective labor agreements that are currently in effect. 51 of the 703 collective labor agreements in which the FNV trade union was involved stipulate that an official holiday may be exchanged for a other holiday. This also applies to employees of a number of large companies, such as NS and Ikea.
For example, in the new collective labor agreement for Dutch universities, it has been agreed that since January 1, each institution can decide for itself whether employees can exchange holidays. According to the university in Maastricht, this has already been used, including to celebrate a Jewish holiday and Eid-al-Fitr. This agreement has also been introduced at HR company Visma Raet.
Good Friday is a fixed day off in education and in some parts of the government, but not in most companies. The umbrella organization of housing associations Aedes stipulated in the collective labor agreement in 2022 that public holidays can be arranged flexibly. The law does not stipulate that you have to be off work on an official holiday.
Requests always approved
Various collective labor agreements also include other regulations regarding public holidays, for example that requests for leave for other religious holidays are always approved.
Furthermore, employees in a number of sectors have standard time off on May 1, Labor Day. This arrangement applies, for example, to cleaning and logistics.
Exchange with colleague
In short, how the holidays are handled differs per sector. “In companies with continuous services and factories that are always running, such as in the chemical sector, it is easier to exchange,” says the AWVN. In addition, there are also employees who informally arrange to have time off on the day of their preference by swapping with a colleague.
Being free on Christian holidays has become ingrained among Dutch people, says Peter Jan Margry. He is a historian at the Meertens Institute, where research is conducted into the Dutch language and culture. “People are creatures of habit, they want to know what to expect.”
He thinks that exchanging the ‘traditional’ holidays among employees is not yet common practice. “You are prepared for it, it is planned for.” Not only by people, but also by companies. “Many companies, such as car shops and home furnishings stores, take into account that many people will come by on Easter, for example.”
Changes in culture take time.
Margry sees that the wishes of employees are increasingly being taken into account. In recent years, there have been more calls in society and politics to designate other days as official holidays. Outgoing Minister Dijkgraaf said WNL on Sunday that he wants to see whether this is feasible for Keti Koti on July 1, the day on which the abolition of slavery is commemorated.
But according to historian Margry, it is not that easy. To make a holiday official, a change in the law is required. This often takes a lot of time and requires a political majority. “Changes in culture take time,” says Margry. “As a rule, these do not take place within a few years.”
