Written by Rainer Ackermann
By agreement of all parties represented in parliament, 24 December will become a non-working day.
Tisza MP István Hantosi justified the bill with the words: “Christmas is one of the most important holidays of the year for all Hungarians.” He recalled that there had already been several attempts in the past to declare Christmas Eve (24 December) a non-working day. Tisza, however, is the party that takes on numerous issues “whose realisation the entire country has been waiting for for decades.”
On 24 December, shops will remain closed as a general rule, with exceptions only for hospitality and catering businesses, florists and confectionery shops, petrol stations including their shops, and shops at (bus) stations and airports. Those who must nevertheless work on Christmas Eve in the public sector, in healthcare, or in transport will be compensated with the surcharges customarily applied to non-working days.
Social Minister Vilmos Kátai-Németh stated that the issue had been raised in parliament a total of 15 times by various social groups and political parties, but had fallen on deaf ears under previous governments. “By declaring 24 December a non-working day, we are making it easier for more than 1.5 million people, who until now had to work on that day, to experience Christmas as a true celebration.” According to calculations by the Finance Ministry, the impact on the state budget is negligible, while the effect on the well-being of society is enormous.
Several subordinate legal norms will need to be amended for the draft legislation, the minister added. Specifically, a regulation requiring advance work to be done on Saturday, 12 December in lieu of Christmas Eve will need to be declared invalid. Working-time frameworks and payroll calculations will need to be adjusted accordingly.
Speaking for Fidesz, Alexandra Szentkirályi expressed support for making 24 December a non-working day, even though the government had not voted in favour of it for other reasons, primarily economic ones. Families spend weeks preparing for the most wonderful celebration of the year, which is why it was hardly ideal that the last day before the Christmas holidays still had to be spent in a rush and at work.
KDNP politician Lőrinc Nacsa recalled a similar initiative by his party from mid-August. Christmas is an important family celebration because it is a Christian holiday — it is where Christian culture and Hungarian traditions come together. Even though economic considerations must always be kept in mind, nine years ago the KDNP succeeded in having the Orbán government recognise Good Friday as a public holiday.
Dávid Dócs of Mi Hazánk described the bill as befitting Hungary’s Christian traditions. Furthermore, this initiative had also brought a measure of peace to parliament. At the same time, he recalled that Jobbik — from which Mi Hazánk later emerged — had been pushing for a work-free Christmas Eve for a decade and a half. For the right, it had likewise been undignified that 24 December had to be worked off on a Saturday in the same month. “Now, at last, the rush to the shops will end and people will be able to reflect on the anticipation of Christmas.”
Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original German text.