Holiday

The Annual Leave Act decrees that all employees are entitled to at least five weeks' (25 days') paid  holiday per year. The law entitles you to four weeks' continuous holiday during the period June to August. Beyond this, your employer has the final say on holidays. Your collective agreement may contain other rules.

The aim of the legislation is to give all employees the right to paid leave. Any employment agreement with worse conditions is therefore illegal. You have the legal right to 25 days' paid holiday per year.
For the purposes of the legislation, the year runs from 1 April to 31 March the following year.
In certain collective agreement areas, the holiday year is the same as the calendar year.
During the holiday year in which you commence your employment, you are only entitled to five days' paid holiday if your employment begins after 31 August. For employment periods of three months or less, there is no legal right to paid holiday.

Holiday taken in advance
You can agree with your employer to take out holiday entitlement in advance. If you leave your employment within five years, the advanced holiday can be deducted from any holiday entitlement you have remaining. This does not apply, however, if your employment is terminated due to illness or redundancy due to a shortage of work. Holiday advances may also be regulated in the collective agreement.
 
Holiday during a period of notice
Holiday may not be allocated during a period of notice without your approval. If the holiday has already been agreed and you are given notice of redundancy due to a shortage of work, you may refrain from taking leave if your notice period is less than six months.

Saved holiday
If you are entitled to more than 20 days' paid holiday during a holiday year, any days not taken may be saved. These are to be taken within five years. The collective agreement may contain other provisions.

Holiday pay
Holiday pay is the salary that is paid during holiday leave. Holiday pay is earned during the year prior to the holiday year. If you begin a new job during the holiday pay qualifying year, you may have the right to take holiday, but only some of the days may be paid. 
Read more about holiday pay and holiday compensation »