On Wednesday 10 April, Muslims in Norway celebrate Eid. They may then be entitled to time off from work, under certain conditions.
Employees who have religious holidays other than the public holidays are entitled to time off from work for up to two days each year.
Simployer’s advisers are getting a lot of questions about this right these days, in connection with the approaching Muslim holiday of Eid.
– The purpose of the provision is that employees who are not members of the Church of Norway must be guaranteed a minimum right to time off on religious holidays. Employees who wish to take time off in accordance with these rules must notify their employer no later than 14 days before such a day off. If the religion the employee belongs to has more than two religious holidays each year, the employee can choose which two holidays he or she wants to have off, says Simployer’s legal HR and management advisor Camilla Schie-Veslum.
The Islamic Council writes on its website that Muslims have two important religious holidays a year.
– The first holiday is called Id al-fitr, and is celebrated at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, while the second is called Id al-adha and is celebrated in connection with the pilgrimage to Mecca. Id ul-fitr falls in Norway in 2024 on Wednesday 10 April, while Id ul-adha falls this year on Sunday 16 June, the website says.
These two days off for celebrating religious holidays are basically without pay, but no pay shall be deducted for the days off.
– The employer can demand that the two days be worked back in later. This incorporation is not counted as overtime, even if the limits for normal working hours are exceeded. The employer decides when the integration is to take place, but must first discuss this with the employee, says Schie-Veslum in Simployer.
If the employer does not require the days to be worked, the leave will be paid.
– If the employer demands that the days be worked in, the employee will be paid for the days off, but not paid for the days on which the hours are worked in, says Simployer’s lawyer.
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