Decree on Public Holidays (Morocco)

Decree on Public Holidays

There are 13 national public holidays in Morocco, four of which are Muslim holidays that do not have fixed dates. The holidays are:

• Jan. 1: New Year’s Day
• Jan. 11: Anniversary of the Manifesto of Independence
• May 1: Labor Day
• July 30: Throne Day
• Aug. 14: Oued Ed-­Dahab Day
• Aug. 20: Revolution of the King and People Day
• Aug. 21: Birthday of King Mohammed VI (Feast of Youth)
• Nov. 6: Feast of the Green March
• Nov. 18: Independence Day
• Date Varies: Islamic New Year
• Date Varies: Birthday of the Prophet
• Date Varies: Eid al ­Fitr (the end of Ramadan)
• Date Varies: Eid al ­Adha (Feast of Abraham’s Sacrifice)

The employee paid by the hour or by the day receives an indemnity for the paid holiday equal to the remuneration that they would have received if they had remained at the workstation, with the exception of indemnities and expenses. Employees are entitled to benefit from paid holiday if they are employed immediately before the holiday or during the 13 days of the month preceding the holiday.

In establishments whose operation is necessarily continuous, owing to the nature of their activity, or which have adopted weekly rest on a rotating basis, work may not be interrupted on paid feast days or public holidays.

An employee whose pay is determined by the task, output, or piece must receive a payment equal to one-sixteenth of the compensation received for the 26 days of actual work that came before the paid holiday. If the employee’s salary is fixed at a flat rate per week or monthly, the amount to which an employee is entitled shall not be reduced even if they are not working on a paid holiday or public holiday which is declared as paid.

The working hours lost due to the public holiday may, after consultation with employee representatives can be compensated within 30 days after the employee’s day off.

Pay for Work on Public Holiday

An employee who works on a paid feast day or a public holiday shall be compensated in addition to the salary relating to that day, compensation equal to 100% of the basic salary for that day.

Compensatory Rest Period: Employees may be entitled to a compensatory day off for the work performed on a paid public holiday or public holiday declared as paid which is added to the paid annual leave. The compensatory rest period shall be in lieu of premium pay for work on a holiday.

Public holidays that fall on a weekend or weekly rest day remain on that day and are not moved to another date. If a public holiday falls on a weekly rest day, the employee shall be entitled to compensation at a regular rate of pay for that holiday.

After consulting with the employee’s representative and trade union representatives, the lost working hours due to the day off may be made up, provided that they are made up within 30 days of that holiday, and such remediation does not begin on the day of the holiday and the employee shall not work more than 10 hours a day. The catch-up can take place on the weekly rest day that the organization decides on, however, this catch-up cannot be started if the weekly rest day coincides with a holiday on which it is paid. The wage is paid for the make-up hours under the same conditions as it is paid for the normal working hours.