Folgas

Folgas is a term used in Portuguese to denote periods of rest from work, including days off, vacations, and other paid or unpaid time away from duties. The word originates from the verb folgar, meaning to rest or be idle. In everyday language, folga can refer to a scheduled break in a work period, a day off, or a longer leave, and it is often contrasted with licença (leave for a specific purpose) or feriado (a public holiday).

Types and usage

Folga can describe different kinds of time off. A weekly folga refers to a regular rest day in a work schedule, while férias or férias anuais denote paid annual leave. Public holidays (feriados) are days off established by law or tradition. In many work arrangements, folgas are planned in advance, and some sectors use a banco de horas or time-bank system to compensate for extra hours with additional time off later. The term is commonly used in casual speech as well, for example, tir a folga meaning to take a day off.

Legal context

In Portuguese-speaking countries, labor laws typically guarantee rest periods and paid time off. For example, in Brazil workers are entitled to a weekly descans o semanal remunerado and to 30 days of paid vacation after a standard qualifying period, with rules governing how leave can be taken or transferred. In Portugal, workers have a statutory weekly rest and a minimum annual leave of about 22 working days. Practices and entitlements can vary by sector, contract, and country, and collective agreements often specify additional folga arrangements or rotation schedules.

See also

Férias, Descanso semanal, Feriado, Banco de horas.