On April 28, 2025, TPO reported that more employees in the Netherlands are likely to get May 5 off annually for Liberation Day. This follows a letter from Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Eddy van Hijum (NSC) in response to a request from the House of Representatives to explore the possibilities for making May 5 a more widely recognized day off. According to Van Hijum, it is up to collective bargaining parties to decide whether Liberation Day is an annual holiday.
The cabinet had previously urged in 2019 for more employers to allow their employees to have this day off. Since then, the Labor Foundation has been informing employers, sectors, and employees about the importance of this day. Van Hijum emphasized, “The cabinet finds it of great importance that the values of freedom and democracy are commemorated on Liberation Day (May 5) and that we can celebrate living in freedom in the Netherlands in an accessible way.”
To ensure the celebration of freedom on Liberation Day continues in the future, the minister has asked social partners to keep advocating for an annual day off on May 5 with decentralized collective bargaining parties. However, he also pointed out that even though Liberation Day has been an official national holiday since 1990, it does not automatically mean that everyone is free that day. Many workers in essential sectors such as healthcare, public transport, and security often have to work.
After this year, the next time Liberation Day will fall on a weekday will be in 2045. In 2030, 2035, and 2040, May 5 will land on the weekend, making it a challenge for those who only have the day off during lustrum years, which occur every five years.
In a related discussion, on April 29, 2025, MAX Vandaag published an article questioning whether Liberation Day would only be an official day off again in 20 years. They noted that since 1990, Liberation Day has been one of the national holidays in the Netherlands, alongside ten others, including New Year's Day and King's Day. Notably, Liberation Day always falls on May 5, regardless of the day of the week.
In 2025, May 5 will indeed be a Monday, coinciding with a lustrum year, meaning most Dutch citizens will likely have the day off. However, for those whose collective labor agreements only recognize Liberation Day as a holiday every five years, they will have to wait until 2045 for the next weekday holiday.
Political discussions regarding whether Liberation Day should become a national holiday for all have been ongoing for years. In December 2024, a majority in the House of Representatives voted in favor of a motion by Diederik Boomsma (NSC) to map out the possibilities of making May 5 an official national holiday. However, this motion does not guarantee implementation.
In June 2017, the topic was also raised in the House of Representatives. Ronald Plasterk, then Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, remarked that there is no law mandating certain holidays as days off for employees. Instead, it is up to employers and employees to negotiate this in their collective labor agreements. According to Plasterk, “If social partners find it important that May 5 is a day off, they can (and must) arrange it at the collective bargaining table. Given this authority, it is not up to the cabinet.”
As of 2025, it seems that the political landscape is still not inclined to make Liberation Day a national holiday for everyone. The complexities surrounding this issue highlight the ongoing negotiations and discussions within various sectors and collective bargaining agreements.
In summary, while Liberation Day is recognized as an official holiday, the reality of who gets the day off remains varied across different sectors. The cabinet's efforts to promote the importance of this day and encourage social partners to advocate for it show a commitment to honoring the values of freedom and democracy. However, significant barriers still exist in making this a universally recognized day off for all workers in the Netherlands.
