Northern Switzerland Aargau government sees no chance of a work-free May 1
In the canton of Aargau, May 1 - Labor Day - should remain a public holiday. The cantonal government has rejected the SP parliamentary group's demand for an additional public holiday. According to the cantonal government, one of the eight public holidays in the canton would have to be abolished.
05.07.2024, 09:21
SDA
In its statement on the SP motion, the cantonal government wrote that the current public holiday regulations were developed taking into account various aspects such as tradition, religion and region. The regulation is anchored in the cantonal introductory law to labor law.
If May 1st were to be included in the introductory law as an additional public holiday, an existing public holiday would have to be abolished in each district, as the cantonal government stated. Otherwise, Aargau would be in breach of the federal legal requirement of a maximum of eight public holidays plus the national holiday, August 1.
An Aargau political issue
In previous years, the cantonal government had attempted to redefine and standardize the numerous public holidays, which vary from district to district. There was resistance to this from the Catholic Church and the population. In 2006, the Grand Council withdrew the changes decided by the Government Council.
There was no indication that a political process on public holidays would produce a different result today, wrote the cantonal government. Other cantons do have nine days with public holiday status.
In Aargau, however, such a day would not be a public holiday in the sense of labor law and would not be treated the same as a Sunday. This would raise expectations that would hardly be fulfilled.
Finally, there would be no legal entitlement to a paid day off. It should also be borne in mind that some private and public employers in the canton already grant half a working day off on May 1.
Starting position is different
In its motion, the SP parliamentary group pointed out that it was surprising that May 1 was not an official public holiday in Aargau. Aargau had made an important contribution during the industrialization phase.
The annual May Day celebrations were a lively and widely accepted tradition. In Aargau, people work on this day, some have the day off, others only work in the mornings. People who work in neighboring cantons have the day off.
