A journalist's paid annual leave is calculated in weeks, not in the daily system of Labour Law No. 4857, and it is markedly longer. Article 21 of Law No. 5953 recognises two tiers.
Leave Entitlements
| Who | Entitlement | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Journalist at a daily periodical | 4 weeks | At least 1 year's seniority |
| Journalist with more than 10 years in the profession | 6 weeks | — |
| Journalist at a non-daily periodical | 2 weeks | For each six-month working period |
The third row is a separate construction: for a journalist at a periodical that is not published daily (a weekly magazine, a monthly), leave is calculated over six-month working periods rather than years, with two weeks for each period. Two completed periods in a year again add up to four weeks.
Difference from Law 4857
| Seniority | Law 5953 (journalist) | Law 4857 (worker) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 4 weeks (28 days) | 14 days |
| 6 years | 4 weeks (28 days) | 20 days |
| 11 years | 6 weeks (42 days) | 26 days |
How seniority is calculated is covered in the leave seniority article.
The Right Cannot Be Waived
The article carries an absolute qualifier: the right to leave cannot be waived. A journalist saying "let me not take my leave and be paid for it instead", and the employer accepting, does not extinguish the leave obligation.
The practical consequence: money paid because leave was not granted does not discharge the leave debt, and the sanction in Article 29 continues to apply.
Notice Periods Do Not Count as Leave
Article 6 contains a related rule: the last day of the notice period is taken into account for compensation and does not count as annual leave. Notice cannot be served as leave; the two run separately.
The same article also requires the pay for unused annual leave to be paid in advance.
If Leave Is Not Granted
The sanction is in Article 29 and has two layers: an administrative fine of three times the total of the wages corresponding to the leave period, and in addition payment to the journalist of the wage due at double. This is covered in the leave penalty article.
Bottom Line
A journalist with at least one year's seniority at a daily periodical receives four weeks of paid leave a year, and one with more than ten years in the profession receives six weeks. At non-daily periodicals the rule is two weeks for each six-month period. The right cannot be waived and notice periods do not count as leave.