I am retiring at the end of June. My employer has told me that I have to take my earned vacation before I retire. The vacation period goes from January 1st to December 31st . I get 5 weeks of holidays and year. Can my employer force me to take my holidays prior to retirement so that he doesn't have to pay me out?

Hello,

Yes, your employer can require you to take the vacation prior to your departure. Please note that, although you have five weeks of vacation a year, by your end date of June you will only have earned about half of your vacation allotment. Therefore, if you take the full five weeks before June, you will have to repay your employer for the unearned vacation you have used.

Regards,

Lluc Cerda
Lawyer