Christmas and New Year – working hours, extras and pay

Shops can be open every day of the year. Work shifts can be assigned for commerce sector employees on all days at Christmas and the turn of the year. However, public holidays reduce working hours either within the annual leave system or under the midweek public holiday system. Workplaces must use one of these systems.

Annual leave system
In the annual leave system, annual midweek public holidays are counted within so-called annual leave. The employee is allocated days off based on the number of hours worked, but the time when these are taken is not tied to public holidays, for example. You can find more information on the annual leave system here.

Midweek public holiday system
Instead of an annual leave system, an employer can use a midweek public holiday system in all or part of the company. At the turn of the year 2023–2024 midweek public holidays that shorten working time are Independence Day (6.12.), Boxing Day (26.12.) and New Year’s Day (1.1.).

Employees are entitled to a midweek public holiday working time reduction if their employment relationship has lasted at least one month before the midweek public holiday. This requirement does not apply to the working time reduction due to Independence Day.

For full-time employees, working time is reduced by 1 day or 7 hrs 30 min (8 hours in a 40 hour schedule) per midweek public holiday.

The working time reduction is made by giving a day off

• in a week with a midweek public holiday
• in the 2 previous weeks
• in the 2 following weeks or
• in an averaging schedule.

Part-time employees (working less than 37.5 hours) are given a working time reduction for a week with a midweek public holiday either as paid time off during the reduction period or as a monetary payment in addition to hours worked. Payment is made with the payment for the reduction period. The monetary payment or working time reduction are calculated by dividing the weekly working time agreed in the employment contract by 5.

For office workers reduction in working time in an averaging system requires agreement at the workplace in accordance with Section 23 of the collective agreement.

If Saturday is a fixed day off, it is also a day off in a week with a midweek public holiday.

Day off on eve of public holiday

Permanent employees in the commerce sector get two days off out of the four eves of a public holiday. The eves are Easter Saturday, Midsummer’s Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

If you have not got these days off, your employer must compensate you for the eves you did not get off by paying 100% increased wages for the regular work done.

In 2023, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve will fall on a Sunday. If you work on either of these days and you are entitled to compensation (100% salary without increase), you will be also paid Sunday compensation.

Extra pay

You can find the collective agreement rules on extra pay in the annex in this link. Note that there are different rules for different professional groups.

Annual holiday

Check the general instructions here

Example:

• Public holidays, Easter Saturday, May Day, Midsummer’s Eve, Independence Day and Christmas Day are not counted as holiday days (Section 20 collective agreement)
• 3-week adjustment period
• Full-time employee takes 6 days of annual holiday starting 21.12.2023
• W=working day, O=day off, AH=annual holiday

Week 50	Mon 11.12.	Tue 12.12.	Wed 13.12.	Thu 14.12.	pe 15.12.	la 16.12.	Sun 17.12.
	W	W	O	W	W	W	O
Week 51	Mon 18.12.	Tue 19.12.	Wed 20.12.	Thu 21.12.	pe 22.12.	la 23.12.	Sun 24.12.
	W	W	W	AH	AH	AH	–
Week 52	Mon 25.12.	Tue 26.12.	Wed 27.12.	Thu 28.12.	pe 29.12.	la 30.12.	Sun 31.12.
	–	–	AH	AH	AH	O	O

Work can be done in the sector on all days of the year. Midweek public holidays are not specified in the sector.

In the annual leave system e.g. annual midweek public holidays are calculated within so-called annual leave. The employee gets leave days based on the hours worked, but the dates of these are not tied to public holidays, for example. So leave days do not have to be placed on public holidays, but they can be. Take a closer look at the annual leave system here.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Evening shifts on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day must, however, be given as leave if an employee so requests a week before the work schedule that includes Christmas is drawn up. However, these days off do not have to be provided in accommodation establishments, seasonal and transport restaurants, hospital and service station cafes and staff canteens.

Wages for working on eves of public holidays and on public holidays
If an employee is at work on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve after 3 p.m., basic wages and evening work and licensee’s deputy’s bonuses are paid increased by 50 %.

On Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Epiphany wages are paid increased by 100%.

Working time in the property services sector Mon 18.12. – Sun 7.1.

Saturday off
Under the collective agreement, the Saturday of the week of New Year’s Day and the Saturday of the week of Epiphany must be given as a day off. In 2024 these are in the same week. So at the turn of the year 2023 – 2024, Sat 6.1. is a day off. If, however, a company’s service offering is uninterrupted, as for example in hotel housekeeping and ship cleaning, an employee can be assigned working shifts on this day too.

Compensation for eves of public holidays and some Saturdays

• Wages increased by 100 per cent are paid for work done on Christmas Eve.
• Wages increased by 50 per cent are paid for work done on Epiphany Saturday.
• Increased wages are not paid in uninterrupted three-shift work.

Midweek public holidays

Midweek public holidays at the turn of the year are:

• Christmas Eve (24 Dec)
• Christmas Day (25 Dec)
• Boxing Day (26 Dec)
• New Year’s Day (1 Jan)
• Epiphany (6 Jan)

Midweek public holiday compensation if you are not in work on the midweek public holiday:

Monthly paid employees

Monthly paid employees do not get separate midweek public holiday compensation on top of their monthly salary; they are paid their normal monthly salary even if they have a day off on a midweek public holiday day.

Hourly paid employees
Hourly paid employees get so-called midweek public holiday compensation if

• their employment relationship has lasted at least 3 months before the midweek public holiday concerned
• and if the midweek public holiday would have been a working day in their work shift schedule for which they would have been entitled to be paid wages.

Overtime compensation if using average weekly working time

If a workplace uses a so-called average weekly working time schedule, leave days on midweek public holidays are not days equivalent to working days when total working time for the period and any overtime limit are calculated. Therefore, with an adjustment period that includes midweek public holidays, there is a right to overtime compensation only when the total working time in the adjustment period has been completed.

Amount of midweek public holiday compensation
1. For an employee whose regular working time is 37.5 hours a week, midweek public holiday compensation is based on 7.5 hours.

2. For an employee whose regular working time is 40 hours a week, midweek public holiday compensation is based on 8 hours.

3. For an employee whose regular working time is less than 37.5 hours a week, midweek public holiday compensation is calculated on a relative basis as follows:

• If an employee’s weekly working time is fixed –>
  Midweek public holiday compensation hours are calculated by dividing weekly working time by 5.
• If an employee’s weekly working time varies –>
  Midweek public holiday compensation hours are calculated as follows: working hours in the quarter are divided by 63. However, working days during periods of absence due to annual holiday or one’s own or a child’s illness are subtracted from the figure of 63.

Example: An employee has worked 216 hours during a quarter. He/she has been ill for 4 working days and on winter holiday for a week (6 weekdays of holiday). Midweek public holiday compensation is calculated as follows:
63 – (4 + 5) = 54 (denominator)
216 / 54 = 4
The employee is paid midweek public holiday compensation for 4 hours.

The amount of the compensation is based on average hourly earnings.

Pay if you are at work on a midweek public holiday:

If an employee has been at work on a midweek public holiday, he/she is paid wages increased by 100 per cent. He/she does not get midweek public holiday compensation for these hours.

However, midweek public holiday compensation is paid if the employee works fewer hours than usual on a midweek public holiday.

Example: An employee normally works 7.5 hours a day, five days a week. He/she works 4 hours on a midweek public holiday and gets wages for 4 hours increased by 100 per cent, and also midweek public holiday compensation for 3.5 hours. Therefore, midweek public holiday compensation is paid for the difference between normal working hours and hours worked, i.e. equivalent to the “unworked” hours.

Annual holiday at the turn of the year 2023-2024

Holidays are held on weekdays, and weekdays are all days except Sundays, Church holidays, Independence Day, Christmas Eve, Midsummer’s Eve, Easter Saturday and May Day (Section 4, Annual Holidays Act).

Therefore, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day are not counted as annual holiday. It is worth noting, however, that if annual holiday extends over midweek public holidays, midweek public holiday compensation is not paid for those midweek public holiday days, and the midweek public holidays are treated as part of the annual holiday.

According to the collective agreement for the property services sector, midweek public holiday compensation is paid if a midweek public holiday would have been a working day under the work shift schedule. Because the annual holiday extends over midweek public holidays, the midweek public holidays are not considered working days according to the work shift schedule. This makes no difference for those on a monthly salary, but part-time workers do not get any pay for these days. If possible, it pays to time your holiday so that the holiday does not include midweek public holidays. In the example below, there is no entitlement to midweek public holiday compensation for New Year’s Day (Mon 1.1.2024) because due to annual holiday it is not considered to be the employee’s working day.

Example of annual holiday at the turn of the year:

Week 51	Mon 18.12.	Tue 19.12.	Wed 20.12.	Thu 21.12.	Fri 22.12.	Sat 23.12.	Sun 24.12.
	Work	Work	Work	Work	Work	Leave	–
Week 52	Mon 25.12.	Tue 26.12.	Wed 27.12.	Thu 28.12.	Fri 29.12.	Sat 30.12.	Sun 31.12.
	–	–	1st hol. day	2nd hol. day	3rd hol. day	4th hol. day	Leave
Week 1	Mon 1.1.	Tue 2.1.	Wed 3.1.	Thu 4.1.	Fri 5.1.	Sat 6.1.	Sun 7.1.
	–	5th hol. day	6th hol. day	Work	Work	Leave	Leave

Check the general instructions here

In the private security sector employees can have work shifts on all days in the Christmas period.

Monthly paid employees have a so-called annual leave system. In it, annual midweek public holidays are calculated as being part of annual leave. Employees accrue days off based on the number of hours worked, but on dates that are not tied to public holidays, for example.

The annual leave system only applies to monthly paid employees. Leave is accrued at a rate of 13.25 hours per calendar month. So during a year around 20 work shifts of leave are accrued, if a shift is 8 hours long.

You can find more information on the annual leave system here (in Finnish). 

Part-time employees are paid a maximum of 8 hours of midweek public holiday compensation according to a work shift on average hourly earnings (KTA) if they are at work on a midweek public holiday.

Midweek public holidays
According to the collective agreement for the private security sector, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and Epiphany are considered midweek public holidays in the Christmas period.

For work done on a midweek public holiday, wages are paid normally subject to the exceptions below.

Wages

• For work done after midnight on Christmas Eve, 100% Sunday compensation is paid
• For work done after midnight on New Year’s Eve, an increase of 50% is paid.
• For Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Epiphany – as for all days marked red in the calendar – wages are paid increased by 100%.

Leave on eve of public holiday

An employee who works an average of five days a week in an employment relationship of indefinite duration is given Midsummer’s Eve or Christmas Eve off.

Leave on the eve of a public holiday during annual holiday is counted as leave taken on the eve of a public holiday.

So Christmas Eve must be given as a day off if an employee did not get the day off on Midsummer’s Eve and was not on annual holiday then.

Days that reduce working time
Days that reduce working time at the turn of the year 2023-2024 are, in December, Independence Day, Boxing Day and Christmas Day and, in January, New Year’s Day.

Days that reduce working time mean that working time is reduced without wages going down.

An employee and employer may also agree that the reduction in working time is paid out as monetary compensation.

When is the reduction given?
The reduction in working time is given in the working time period that includes the reducing day – so not necessarily on the day that reduces working time.

If the working time period is for example 3 weeks and it began on 11.12., during the period (11.12-31.12) an employee must be given 2 days that reduce working time (Boxing Day and Christmas Day) and during the following 3-week period (1.1-21.1) one day that reduced working time (New Year’s Day).

How is the reduction done?

For full-time employees, the reduction is 7.5 hrs per working time reducing day.
The reduction is made by giving a continuous period of leave. If this is not possible, the number of hours in the period is reduced by other means.
It is also possible to agree to pay out the reduction in working time as monetary compensation for each midweek public holiday separately.

For part-time employees, working time is reduced by the number of hours obtained by dividing the average weekly working time agreed in the collective agreement by 5.

If the period working time varies, average weekly working time is calculated based on the 12 preceding calendar weeks.

Example 1.
The agreed weekly working time of a part-time employee is 25 hours / week.
His/her working time reduction is made up as follows: 25 hours / 5 = 5 hours
The working time of the employee concerned is reduced by 5 hours in a week with a midweek public holiday without reducing his/her wages, or alternatively extra wages are paid for 5 hours.

Example 2.
A part-time employee’s working time varies and in the 12 weeks before the week of Independence Day (in the period 11.9-3.12) he/she has worked a total of 264 hours.
Then the average weekly working time is 264 hours / 12 = 22 hours
His/her working time reduction is made up as follows: 22 hours / 5 = 4.4 hours
The working time of the employee concerned is reduced by 4.4 hours in a week with a midweek public holiday without reducing his/her wages, or alternatively extra wages are paid for 4.4 hours.

At work on Christmas Eve
If an employee works after midday on Christmas Eve, he/she is paid a public holiday eve bonus of 4.21 €/ hour.

At work on Christmas public holidays or on New Year’s Day
If an employee works on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day, wages are paid for the work increased by 100%. Evening and night bonuses are also paid at the double rate.

In principle all days can be working days. You can check the working time schedules in the sector in the collective agreement here  (in Finnish).

Wages
Wages for work done on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve after 3 p.m. are paid increased by 50%. Evening and night work bonuses and working conditions bonuses are also correspondingly increased.

Wages for work done on Christmas Day are paid increased by 150 %. Evening and night work bonuses and working conditions bonuses are also correspondingly increased.

For work done on Sundays and other Church holidays and on May Day and Independence Day, wages are paid increased by 100%. Evening and night work bonuses and working conditions bonuses are also increased correspondingly.

Working conditions and working time bonuses

• Evening work bonus (18.00 – 21.00)  0.85 € / hour
• Night work bonus (21.00 – 06.00) 2.38 € / hour
• Snowmaking bonus 1.46 € / hour

In principle all days can be working days. You can check the working time schedules in the sector in the collective agreement here (in Finnish).

For work done on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, wages are paid increased by 100%. The same applies to Sundays and other Church holidays as well as May Day and Independence Day.

Other bonuses:
If an averaging schedule of maximum 24 weeks has been agreed locally, employees covered by the agreement should be paid:

• an evening work bonus of 0.77€ / hour for work done between 6 pm and 9 pm
• a night work bonus of 2.16€ / hour for work done between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., unless agreed otherwise locally.