Shutdowns
The shutdown of businesses in Malta on or around St. Marija (the 15th August for the non-Maltese) is a long standing tradition.
This also happens regularly at Christmas time.
Some of the legal issues you should be familiar with.
- As from the 1 January 2019, these matters are regulated specifically by the Annual Leave National Standard Order.
- An employer may have more than one (1) shutdown period during a year. However, any such period of closure shall not, in aggregate, exceed 12 working days in a calendar year. The law permits that a different threshold be set but this has to be reflected in a collective agreement or in an agreement between the employer and the employee.
- When a public holiday falls on a Thursday or a Tuesday, it is not uncommon for employers to designate as a holiday the day between the holiday and the weekend. For the purposes of law, any so-called “bridge holidays” are counted for the purposes of the maximum threshold (12 days, or as otherwise agreed between the parties.
- Any type of shutdown and bridging of holidays is to be communicated to all employees by the end of January of each year.
You may be liable to fines and penalties if you fail to abide with the provisions summarized above.
If you have any questions on shutdowns, holidays and bridge holidays, feel free to reach out to us.
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