Christmas Eve can be a holiday in commerce

By: Trademagazin Date: 2023. 05. 30. 15:19

In the next year, the number of days off around Christmas would increase according to a fresh draft decree, but it excludes retail employees who work tirelessly during the pre-holiday shopping rush from Monday to Sunday.

The trade union has already initiated a modification for this year’s Christmas Eve. Retail workers, who serve the public’s consumption throughout the year at a frantic pace, also demand a day off on December 24th. Therefore, they are already requesting its designation for this year’s Christmas Eve from lawmakers, as stated by Csaba Bubenkó, the president of Egyenlő.hu Christian-Social Workers’ Representation, in connection with the fresh draft decree from the Ministry of Economic Development.

According to the proposal released for social debate, the government aims to make the Christmas period work-free next year, so that during the holiday week, only one day of work would be required for those employed under a regular work schedule. The proposal suggests that in 2024, when Christmas Eve falls on a Tuesday, it would be designated as a day off, which the employees would compensate by working on Saturday, December 7th. Furthermore, the proposal suggests that the post-Christmas day of December 27th would be nearly free for workers, as they could fulfill the work originally scheduled for Friday on December 14th. Csaba Bubenkó pointed out that although the draft decree applies to all employers, it only pertains to employees who are employed under a regular work schedule, meaning from Monday to Friday, for 8 hours a day.