Is Shrove Thursday a paid day off?

Satunnainen

Holy Thursday, also known as Ascension Day, is a Christian holiday celebrated 40 days after Easter. In Finland, Maundy Thursday is an official holiday, but the question of whether it is a paid holiday depends on several factors, such as the employment contract, the collective agreement and the employer’s practices.

Helaturstai and legislation

Finnish legislation defines Holy Thursday as a public holiday. This means that it is an official holiday when most public services and many businesses are closed. Labor legislation, however, does not directly stipulate that Shrove Tuesday is a paid day off for all employees.

Collective agreements and Happy Thursday

In many sectors, collective agreements (TES) define how public holidays, such as Maundy Thursday, are handled. Collective agreements often have provisions that guarantee employees a paid day off on public holidays. This means that if the collective agreement covers Maundy Thursday, the employee will be paid even if he does not work on that day.

  • For example, in the fields of industry and technology industry, collective agreements usually guarantee a paid day off on Maundy Thursday.
  • In service industries, such as trade, collective agreements can vary, but often they also contain provisions on pay on public holidays.

Employment contracts and employer policies

If the workplace does not have a collective agreement, the employment agreement and the employer’s policies determine whether Happy Thursday is a paid holiday. The employer can decide to offer a paid day off on Maundy Thursday, but this is not a legal obligation.

Summary

Morning Thursday is an official holiday in Finland, but its pay depends on collective agreements, employment contracts and employer practices. In many industries, collective agreements guarantee a paid day off on Maundy Thursday, but this is not a universal practice in all workplaces.

You can read more information about Happy Thursdays and collective agreements, for example, on the Tösuojelu administration website and from Finlex.

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