#Guatemala 🇬🇹 #BDS_LaborAlert: Labor Implications and Right to Salary Payment During the August 15 Holiday in Guatemala
August 15 is recognized as a public holiday in Guatemala City and other municipalities of the...
April 2026 includes three mandatory paid public holidays, namely: Thursday, April 2, and Friday, April 3 (Maundy Thursday and Good Friday), as well as Saturday, April 11 (Juan Santamaría Day), according to Article 148 of the Labor Code.
For this year, there is no legal provision allowing the transfer of these holidays to another date.
Proper Compensation of Public Holidays
- Weekly-paid employees in non-commercial activities: Employers must pay wages for the days actually worked and add one day of ordinary pay for each holiday. If the employee works on the holiday, it must be paid at double the ordinary rate.
- Monthly, biweekly, or weekly-paid employees in commercial activities: The salary already includes payment for public holidays. If the employee works on the holiday, it must be paid at double the ordinary rate.
In both cases, if an employee works overtime during the aforementioned holidays, such hours must be compensated with a 50% surcharge on the ordinary hourly rate, i.e., at double time and a half.
It should be noted that, in accordance with the Labor Code, these three days are mandatory paid public holidays, and employees must, in principle, be granted the right to enjoy those days off, except in the situations listed in Articles 150 and 151, where the employer may require employees to work on holidays with prior notice.
Please contact us should you have any questions or require assistance regarding the specific provisions for the proper management of public holidays.
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