It may now be Jersey’s official national day, but many islanders will be disappointed that they will not receive an extra day off work or school for Liberation Day this year.
With 9 May falling on a Saturday – when most offices and workplaces are already closed – this year, the question has resurfaced: why is there no substitute holiday, and could the situation have been different?
Express took a look at the history of Liberation Day…
A quirk of the calendar – and the law
Liberation Day, marking Jersey’s freedom from German Occupation during the Second World War, usually falls on a weekday. However, every five or six years it lands on a weekend, as it does this year.
Unlike Christmas Day and New Year’s Day – where a substitute bank holiday is granted if they fall on a weekend – Liberation Day is treated differently.
“It’s in the law,” explained Steven Cartwright, Chief Officer at the Bailiff’s Chambers, which oversees Liberation Day celebrations but does not set policy.
Legislation states that Liberation Day “is to be observed as a public holiday if it is a weekday or Saturday”.
While this benefits those who normally work Saturdays, it leaves the majority of islanders without an additional day off when the date falls at the weekend.
A flexible law – but no change this time
Despite the rigidity of the wording, the law has been amended several times in recent years to accommodate special occasions.
This included the 75th anniversary of Liberation in 2020, which fell on a Saturday. Islanders were granted an additional bank holiday on Friday 8 May.
Other extra days off have included the Corn Riots commemoration in 2021, and royal events such as the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and funeral in 2022, as well as King Charles III’s Coronation and visit in 2024.
In 2015, when Liberation Day also fell on a Saturday, Deputy Sam Mézec proposed making Friday 8 May a public holiday instead to ensure most islanders still benefited from an extra day off.
However, the proposal was opposed by ministers and ultimately rejected by the States Assembly.
Why no proposal this year?
Given the popularity of bank holidays, some have questioned why no politician has revived the idea.
Deputy Mézec said his position had not changed, but he had chosen not to bring forward a new proposition this year.
“My personal opinion on it hasn’t changed. When Liberation Day falls on a weekend, there should be another day to make up for that,” he said.
However, he added that the issue “hasn’t come up as much” and noted that raising it now could be seen as “electioneering” ahead of islanders heading to the polls in June.
“There have been many other things that came up leading up to the end of this term,” he said.
While acknowledging that many islanders welcome an extra day off, Deputy Mézec also pointed to mixed views.
“Businesses are often not particularly keen on another bank holiday, which is understandable from their perspective,” he said, but added: “It’s definitely something we should look at one day.”
A long-running debate
The question of how – or even whether – Liberation Day should be observed has been debated for decades.
In 1979, amid strong public demand for more public holidays, the States’ legislation committee proposed moving Liberation Day to the first Monday in May to align with the UK’s May Day holiday.
The move was partly aimed at avoiding industrial action, after the Transport and General Workers Union urged its 6,000 members to stay away from work in protest at the lack of additional holidays.
Jersey Gas also indicated it would scale back operations to emergency services only.
But the proposal proved deeply unpopular with many islanders, who felt the significance of 9 May should not be diluted.
One reader wrote to the Jersey Evening Post at the time: “No other day would mean anything.”
Looking ahead
The issue is unlikely to disappear. Next year, Liberation Day will fall on a Sunday – and outside an election period, when politicians may feel less constrained about revisiting the debate.
For now, though, the position remains unchanged – Liberation Day will be marked with celebration and ceremony, but for most islanders, not with an extra day off.