Lithuanian MPs vote to keep May 1 as public holiday

The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday voted against removing May 1 from the list of official public holidays.

In the first reading, the Liberal Movement's proposal to eliminate International Workers' Day as an official holiday received 23 votes in favour, 33 against, and 10 abstentions.

Presenting the bill, Simonas Gentvilas said Lithuania ranks second in Europe for the number of public holidays after Romania, which he said has 17 in total.

The Liberal MP explained that the initiative followed a suggestion by Saulius Skvernelis, the speaker of the Seimas, to make January 13 – Freedom Defenders' Day – a public holiday.

"We have to scrap one of the current non-working days," he said.

Gentvilas said May 1 lacks strong traditions in Lithuania and is simply treated as a day off.

"I don't think today's youth – or even slightly older generations – have any established traditions for May 1. Maybe some trade unions mark it, maybe a few left-wing parties do, but as a society, we don't have the kind of traditions other countries do," he said, asking fellow lawmakers how many of them planned to spend the day barbecuing and how many would actually attend events.

The Liberal MP also pointed out that every day off means lost revenue for the state.

"The government has a choice: either raise taxes or work one more day," he said.

Viktoras Pranckietis, another Liberal MP, said that May 1 reminds him of the Soviet-era holiday when people were forced to march in parades. He recalled that, as a student, he used to donate blood just to avoid participating in those parades.

"To me, it's a bloody day," he said.

Social Democrat Algirdas Sysas rejected claims that Lithuanians have too many holidays. He said the real number should take into account how many fall on weekends.

Sysas also called on lawmakers not to liken May 1 to January 13.

"Don't compare May 1 with the events of January 13. That was Lithuania's fight for independence, not a holiday," he said.

The Seimas designated May 1 a public holiday in 2001. Previous attempts to remove it have failed due to a lack of support.

The latest push came after Skvernelis proposed making January 13 a public holiday. The government supports that idea but believes November 2 – All Souls' Day – should be dropped instead of May 1.

The Labour Code currently lists 16 official public holidays, three of which fall on weekends.