Agricultural Reform Day in São Tomé & Príncipe

A national holiday with a historical name

The Labour Code places September 30 among the country’s obligatory national holidays and calls it the Day of the Nationalizations of the Roças. The tourism authority uses the English name Agricultural Reform Day and says the holiday commemorates the nationalization of many of the country’s largest plantations shortly after independence.[1][2]

São Tomé and Príncipe became independent on July 12, 1975. The holiday’s date therefore marks a post-independence change in who controlled the plantation estates, rather than the country’s independence itself.[2]

What the nationalization meant

Roças were plantation estates central to São Tomé and Príncipe’s agricultural history. By identifying September 30 as the day of their nationalizations, the Labour Code gives the holiday a specifically national historical reference; the tourism authority describes the event as the nationalization of many of the largest plantations.[1][2]

Agricultural Reform Day marks the nationalisation of land in São Tomé and Príncipe.[1][2]

The day off and weekend rule

The Labour Code classifies September 30 as an obligatory holiday. It also provides that obligatory holidays falling on Saturday move to the preceding Friday, while those falling on Sunday move to the following Monday. The tourism authority likewise says weekend holidays are observed on a weekday.[1][2]

The tourism authority says workers are entitled to paid time off on holidays. If an employee is required to work, it says the employee may choose paid time off in lieu or higher pay, with the arrangement left to the employment contract. The Labour Code separately guarantees remuneration corresponding to national holidays.[1][2]

Planning around September 30

Agricultural Reform Day is a legal public holiday in São Tomé and Príncipe.[1][2]