Malta has its fair share of public holidays (PH) and feasts, and most of this year’s holidays were either on a Thursday or Friday - very convenient for those longing for a long weekend. However, 2024 won’t be so kind, and with six out of 14 holidays falling on a Saturday or Sunday, many are wondering what will happen to their leave balance. 

After the re-introduction of the PH leave entitlement measure in 2021, these holidays will not be discarded and will be reflected in the employee’s leave according to their working hours and and whether they are engaged on a roster or shift basis. 

From an employer perspective, managers will have their work cut out for them in balancing leave requests, maintaining the operations of their business and ensuring no friction emerges within teams as staff members vie for the most coveted holiday periods, especially in cases where a company does not mandate a shutdown. 

This measure was reintroduced in 2021 after being removed in 2005, fulfilling a pledge made by the Labour Party in its electoral manifesto.

Generally, a full-time employee working 40 hours per week is automatically entitled to 192 hours of leave annually. This is equivalent to four weeks and 32 hours of leave, or 24 working days, and is not dependent on shifts or rosters..

What will you be entitled to?

In 2023, full-time workers who worked from Monday to Friday had 16 hours of additional leave due to public holidays falling on weekends, bringing their total leave entitlement to 26 days.

The Department of Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) Malta explains that if a public holiday falls on a Saturday, Sunday or an employee’s weekly day of rest, then one additional day of leave - equivalent to the total hours in one working day – is given as additional leave.

However, any addition to vacation leave in relation to the public holidays falling on off days, may vary depending on the employment conditions of a particular member of staff. For instance, for part-time workers, the amount of leave added due to a PH falling on their off day is calculated on a pro rata basis.

To illustrate, consider the following scenarios, which take as an example a month which has a public holiday falling on a Saturday or Sunday where the worker does not normally work:  

Worker 1:

Working hours:  Monday to Friday, 40 hours weekly.

Entitlement: Eight hours of additional leave.

Worker 2: 

          Working hours: Part-time/full-time reduced hours

          Entitlement: Leave entitlement at pro-rata.

If the month has a public holiday falling on a day of rest/off day:

Worker 3: Off day

Working hours: Monday to Saturday with an off day during the week.

Entitlement: The equivalent in hours of one working day vacation leave are added to annual leave entitlement.

Worker 4: Rest day

Here, according to DIER, rest is understood as 24 hours of uninterrupted rest from midnight to midnight, subsequent to a night shift.

Working hours: Monday to Sunday with day-night-rest-off-shift basis, whose public holiday falls on a rest day.

Entitlement: If the public holiday “is not enjoyed”, the employee is either compensated for public holiday by additional vacation leave or by paying an extra 1:1 payment in relation to the hours worked on the public holiday. This is done in accordance with the applicable regulations.  

Public Holidays in 2024

Monday:

• New Year’s Day – 1st January 2024.

Tuesday:

• Feast of St Joseph – 19th March 2024.

Wednesday:

• Workers Day – 1st May 2024.

• Christmas Day – 25th December 2024.

Thursday:

• Feast of the Assumption – 15th August 2024.

Friday:

• Good Friday – 29th March 2024.

• Sette Giugno – 7th June 2024.

• Republic Day – 13th December 2024.

Saturday:

• Feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck – 10th February 2024.

• Feast of St Peter and St Paul – 29th June 2024.

• Independence Day – 21st September 2024.

Sunday:

• Easter Sunday and Freedom Day – 31st March 2024.

• Victory Day – 8th September 2024.

• Immaculate Conception – 8th December. 2024

So, for employees working a 40-hour per week contract, from Monday to Friday, they will see a leave balance of the mandatory 192 hours (24 working days) + 48 hours (six working days), amounting to a total of 30 days of leave in 2024.