The employees receive 12 days off as public holidays. Versus 2014, the day of January, 24 was introduced this year as a public holiday, as the day of the Romanian United Principalities, but this day is not stipulated by the labor laws, so it is not a legal day off.

In case of an usual work schedule, Monday through Friday, the employees are enjoyed the free days during the work week.

In 2015 only 8 of 12 holidays are during the work week and two of them have already passed – January 1st and 2nd.

The legal holydays set by labor legislation, in 2015, are:

• January, 1 and 2;
• April, 12 and 13 – the first and second day of Easter 2015;
• May, 1 – Labor Day;
• May, 31 and June, 1 – the first and second day of Pentecost 2015;
• August, 15 – Assumption of Mary;
• November, 30 – St. Andrew;
• December, 1 – National Day of Romania;
• December, 25 and 26 – the first and second day of Christmas.

January, 24, the United Principalities Day, was setteled as legal holiday by the law 171/2014. Until it is specified by a normative act that the law 117/2014 amends the Labor Code, January 24 is not a legal day off.

Of the 12 legal holidays, only 8 are during the work week, as the calendar set. As January 1st and 2nd passed, Romanian employees will enjoy only more 6 free days from Monday to Friday in 2015.

The first days of Easter and Pentecost are always Sunday and the second day of Christmas is celebrated, in 2015, on a Saturday.

It’s official: January 24, adopted as public holiday

January 24, the United Principalities Day, is from this year a public holiday, according to law 171/2014 published in Official Gazette from 18 of December, 2014.

The Senate has adopted the normative document on June, 2, 2014 and the Deputy Chamber, as a decisional for, has adopted the law on December, 3 in a modified form. Thus, the Deputy Chamber included the motive of adopting the date of January 24 as a legal holiday: in 1859 the Union of the Romanian Principalities took place. Since the law 117/2014 has no article stating that it changes the Labor Code, January 24 is not a legal day off.

Who is going to work and how will be reworded in the days off

For the jobs in which the work cannot be interrupted due to specific activity (e.g. units in the production process that cannot be interrupted or employees of health care facilities and stuff who work in the food industry), the employees are obliged to go to work.

Those who work in legal free days for reasons related to the nature of the work are entitled to a compensatory day off in the next 30 days.

Also, when justified reasons may not be granted compensatory time off, the Labor Code provides that employees receive a bonus that cannot be less than 100% of base salary. If not respecting the law by granting compensatory time off or the legal bonus indicated, the employers risk a fine between 5,000 and 10,000 lei.

Another motions for legal days off, rejected by the deputies

The deputies rejected until now another legal motions for acording new legal days off for the employees:

• May, 10, the King Day;
• The third day of Easter;
• May, 21, the Saints Constantine and Helena day, according to Orthodox Calendar.

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