Public holidays
You do not need to work on official public holidays, for which you will receive an extra day off.
Official public holidays
All universities recognise the following public holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Sunday and Easter Monday
- King’s Day
- Liberation Day
- Ascension Day
- Whit Sunday and Whit Monday
- Christmas Day and Boxing Day
How does this affect you?
You do not have to work on official public holidays, unless the university requires you to be there. Article 4.8 of the CAO outlines all of the applicable conditions. Some universities also recognise local holidays; information about these days will be available on your university’s website or intranet.
If you celebrate non-Christian religious holidays, you may use your accrued holiday leave to take time off for them. If you normally work on Fridays, you will be able to request permission to swap the Good Friday public holiday for another religious, national, regional or local public holiday or day of remembrance from 2024 onwards. This request may be rejected if it is not submitted at least four weeks before Good Friday or if it is not possible to accept due to compelling business interests (the need to close the building to employees whose jobs do not allow them to work from home, for example).
Religious holidays
If you celebrate non-Christian religious holidays, you may use your accrued holiday leave to take those days off. You may take up to five days per year to celebrate religious holidays. Your employer may only refuse these holidays if they will demonstrably affect the institution, e.g. due to teaching or examination periods.
Copyright 2025