Labour Day in Malta
Malta observes Labour Day, also called Workers’ Day, on 1 May as a public holiday. Its significance is connected to the country’s labour history, and the date also appears in the Catholic calendar as the feast of St Joseph the Worker.[1][3][4]
A fixed-date public holiday
Malta’s National Holidays and Other Public Holidays Act, Chapter 252, regulates public holidays. The Government of Malta lists 1 May as Workers’ Day, and the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) includes it among the country’s paid public holidays.[1][2]
DIER says whole-time employees are entitled to national and public holidays with full pay. If a holiday falls on a Saturday, Sunday or the employee’s weekly rest day, the employee is entitled to an additional day of vacation leave in the same calendar year. Part-time and reduced-hours employees receive the entitlement on a pro-rata basis. This is additional leave rather than an automatic Monday substitute holiday.[2]
Malta’s labour history
Malta’s Workers’ Day sits in a longer history of labour organisation and industrial relations. DIER traces the earliest Maltese trade union to a dockyard fitters’ benefits society formed in 1884. Dockyard workers formed the Imperial Government Workers Union in 1916, and it called a strike in May 1917 over a wage increase they considered inadequate amid rising prices.[3]
The General Workers Union was established in 1943. Its calls for trade union legislation were followed by the Trade Unions and Trade Disputes Ordinance of 1945, which provided for compulsory union registration. These milestones give the day a local connection to workers’ organising and employment rights, beyond its place on the public holiday calendar.[3]
A Catholic observance on the same date
The date has a religious observance alongside its workers’ focus: the Archdiocese of Malta’s diocesan calendar names 1 May as St Joseph the Worker. The Archdiocese has also listed a Mass for the feast at the Parish Church of Saint Joseph the Worker in Birkirkara, showing one documented way the day is marked locally.[4][5]
What to expect
Opening arrangements differ by provider, so check directly with the service or venue you plan to use.[1][2]
Travellers should check current operator information and local notices before setting out.[1]
Frequently asked questions
When is Labour Day in Malta?
It is observed on 1 May and is listed by the Government of Malta as Workers’ Day.[1]
Is Labour Day a paid day off?
It is a public holiday. DIER says whole-time employees are entitled to public holidays with full pay; rules for employees who work that day depend on the applicable Wage Regulation Order or National Standard.[2]
Is there a substitute day if 1 May falls on a rest day?
DIER describes an additional day of vacation leave for an eligible employee when a public holiday falls on a Saturday, Sunday or weekly rest day. It does not describe an automatic Monday substitute holiday.[2]
Are shops, restaurants and public transport open?
Check with individual businesses and transport operators for their arrangements.[1]
Sources and references
Sources used for Labour Day in Malta:
- Public Holidays in Malta- Government of Malta
- Vacation Leave- Department for Industrial and Employment Relations, Government of Malta
- History- Department for Industrial and Employment Relations, Government of Malta
- CALENDAR OF DIOCESAN CELEBRATIONS FOR THE YEAR 2025- Archdiocese of Malta
- Mass celebrating the feast of St Joseph the Worker during the Workers’ Jubilee – 1st May 2025, 9:30am- Archdiocese of Malta