Labour Day in Latvia

A public holiday with a Latvian meaning

Latvia’s law names 1 May as a public holiday under both titles: Labour Day and the Day of the Convocation of the Constitutional Assembly. It is therefore not simply a workers’ holiday in the Latvian calendar; it also recalls the country’s first democratically elected national legislature.[1][3]

The Constitutional Assembly met for its first session on 1 May 1920. People celebrated its convocation with supportive demonstrations in the streets. The Assembly was tasked with drafting a constitution for an independent Latvia.[3][4]

How the day is observed

The law requires the Latvian national flag to be displayed on public buildings, buildings belonging to private legal persons and associations, and residential buildings on 1 May. This makes the date a visible civic observance as well as a public holiday.[5]

Rules for educational institutions below higher education level require festive events for International Workers’ Day and the First Meeting of the Constitutional Assembly on 1 May.[6]

Work and practical arrangements

The Labour Law says employees are not required to work on public holidays prescribed by law. Where work must continue, an employer may require holiday work while granting rest on another day or paying appropriate remuneration. The holiday therefore generally gives employees time away from work, subject to the work-continuity provision.[2]

The law’s next-working-day substitute rule applies to specified holidays when they fall on a Saturday or Sunday; 1 May is not among those listed dates. No substitute day is specified for Labour Day by that rule.[1]

Check directly with the office, business or transport operator you plan to use.[1][2]