Spanish court rules on holiday compensation for contact center workers

The Spanish National Court (Audiencia Nacional) has ruled on whether contact center employees are entitled to extra rest days when a public holiday coincides with their scheduled annual vacation.

The court rejected a claim brought by the FeSMC-UGT union against the Association of Customer Experience Companies (CEX). The union argued that if a holiday falls during a worker's vacation period on a day they would normally work, they should receive an additional day of rest as compensation.

However, the court determined that because the relevant collective agreement defines vacations in calendar days rather than business days, the holiday is already integrated into the vacation period. The ruling emphasizes that calendar days include both working days and non-working days, such as weekends and holidays, meaning no additional compensation is required under the current framework.