Nothing surprises us on the other side of the Atlantic anymore. On his Truth Social network, Donald Trump castigated the number of public holidays in the United States, accusing them of costing the economy "billions of dollars" and asserting that "workers don't want them either." This statement, which came on June 19th - the day commemorating the end of slavery - provoked a storm of protest, both for its symbolic significance and for its challenge to a deeply rooted social achievement. The reaction was swift: on X, criticisms poured in, denouncing an attack on the right to rest and quality of life, while some pointed out that European countries, sometimes with more public holidays, were not doing any worse economically.
And it is precisely Europe that interests us. Is eliminating public holidays legally possible in France?
Public Holidays in France
France has 11 statutory public holidays, plus regional specificities, particularly in Alsace-Moselle and the overseas territories. However, contrary to popular belief, only May 1st – Labor Day – is a mandatory paid holiday for all employees. Other public holidays may or may not be worked, depending on collective bargaining agreements, company agreements, or the employer's decision.
Employers can therefore ask their employees to work on a public holiday, subject to compensation. In certain essential sectors (healthcare, transport, hospitality, etc.), even May 1st can be worked.
An idea already discussed in France
The elimination of a public holiday is not a new idea in the French public debate. In a context of budget deficit, the government has regularly studied this avenue, estimating that it could bring in between 2.4 and 4 billion euros per year to Social Security or the State, by increasing productivity and reducing the cost of business interruptions. Whit Monday, transformed into a "day of solidarity" in 2004 after the heatwave, however, highlighted the complexity of this type of change.
Several dates are regularly mentioned: May 8 (Victory of 1945), August 15 (Assumption), or even November 11 (Armistice), due to their lesser political or religious significance compared to May 1 or July 14.
Can public holidays be legally removed in France?
From a legal perspective, nothing prevents the French legislature from modifying the list of public holidays included in the Labor Code (Article L.3133-1). Parliament can therefore, by law, remove or add a public holiday. In practice, any attempt to remove a public holiday encounters strong social resistance. Unions see these days as essential social gains, and a large part of the population is attached to them. Parliamentary debates on the subject are recurrent, but rarely lead to effective reforms, so sensitive is the issue.
While France does indeed have the legal capacity to draw inspiration from the Trump method, by eliminating public holidays, the political and social reality makes such a reform highly unlikely. Despite recurring debates, public holidays remain a pillar of social compromise, difficult to challenge without provoking popular revolt.
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