How we’ll be spending the May bank holidays in 2026: will there be any extra days off?
In May 2026, Ukrainians will traditionally celebrate two public holidays: Labour Day on 1 May and the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in the Second World War on 8 May. In peacetime, Ukrainians would have had the days off from 1 to 3 May, as well as from 8 to 10 May inclusive. However, due to the imposition of martial law, the rules regarding public holidays have been temporarily amended.
Under current regulations, official additional days off for public holidays do not apply during a period of martial law. This means that 1 and 8 May 2026 will remain normal working days for most government departments.
At the same time, private companies may decide independently whether to grant their employees a day off. The law allows employers to grant additional time off, but this is not a mandatory requirement.
Furthermore, no increased pay is provided for working on these days as for work on a public holiday — wages will be calculated as usual.
As a reminder, ThePublic previously covered the history of International Labour Day on 1 May.
Follow us on Telegram
