The employees in the Republic of Moldova do not fully benefit from nonworking days when these fall on Saturdays or Sundays and are not transferred to another day, as it happens in other countries. This is the case of Easter and Sunday of the Dead. Also, March 8 this year falls on a Sunday. Representatives of the National Confederation of Trade Unions proposed that the nonworking days should be transferred when they fall on Saturdays or Sundays, but weren’t supported.

Head of the Confederation’s Legal Assistance Department Eugeniu Covrig has told IPN that any salary earner has the right to a paid annual leave of 28 days, including Saturdays and Sundays. The nonworking bank holidays are not included in the length of the leave. This way, if the leave of a salary earner includes a nonworking holiday, a day is added to the leave.

This year, March 8 is celebrated on a Sunday. The salary earners who are on leave on this day will rest for one extra day. This is not yet the case of the employees who have time away from work on Sundays. “There are many countries where these nonworking days, either the person is on leave or not, are automatically transferred to the next days,” explained Eugeniu Covrig. According to him, the Labor Code stipulates a number of nonworking days, but the employees never fully benefit from them each year.

The trade unions suggested amending the legal provisions so that the bank holidays that fall on nonworking days are transferred, but the proposal was not supported.

In Moldova, the nonworking bank holidays for which the employees do not work on other days are: January 1 (New Year’s), January 7 and 8 (Christmas celebrated according to the old calendar), March 8 (International Women’s Day), Easter (Sunday and Monday), Sunday of the Dead (Sunday and Monday), May 1 (International Labor Day), May 9 (Victory Day/Europe Day), June 1 (International Children’s Day), August 27 (Independence Day), August 31 (Our Language Day) and December 25 (Christmas celebrated according to the new calendar).