All employees are entitled to vacation. If you work for a company with a collective agreement, you get extra vacation days. See what you are entitled to here.
How much vacation are you entitled to?
Everyone is entitled to four weeks and one day of vacation each year. With a collective agreement at the company, you are entitled to an additional four days, ending up with five weeks of vacation.
You have the right to take three weeks of consecutive vacation in the period from June 1 to September 30. You also have the right to know when your vacation will start two months before it begins.
Employees have both the right and the obligation to take vacation, even when changing jobs.
The employer is required to ensure that the employee takes vacation during the vacation year.
Up to 12 days of statutory vacation that are not taken during the calendar year shall be carried over to the next vacation year (must be agreed with the employer).
In case of illness
If you have not taken vacation due to illness, all remaining vacation should be carried over to the next year.
If you become ill during your vacation, you are entitled to a new vacation from the first day you are sick. The request for a new vacation must be submitted as soon as you return to work and must be documented with a medical certificate.
Holiday pay
You do not get paid when you are on vacation. Instead you receive holiday pay to compensate for the loss of wages. The holiday pay is saved in the year before you take your vacation. It is the employer who sets aside these funds.
If you have four weeks of vacation, the holiday pay is 10.2 percent of the holiday pay base. You can find the holiday pay base on the annual statement from your employer.
If you have a collective agreement and five weeks of vacation, the holiday pay is 12 percent of the holiday pay base.
You are taxed on holiday pay the same as on salary. However, the tax is usually spread over the other months, so that no tax is deducted from the holiday pay payout.
What should I do if my employer does not pay the holiday pay?
Holiday pay should be paid on the last regular payday before the vacation. You can also require that holiday pay be paid no later than one week before the vacation starts. Often companies arrange for holiday pay to be paid in connection with the June salary.
But what if the holiday pay does not come? Then you must contact the company. Feel free to contact your union representative first.
Holiday pay is part of your wages, and not paying holiday pay is the same as not paying wages. If the company has used up the holiday pay you have earned and that is set aside in the company's accounts, it is theft.
If pushed to the limit, you could drive the company into bankruptcy. But first you must do what you can to obtain the money.