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Private sector companies in Saudi Arabia will now enjoy a four-day break for Eid. Plus, employees will also be entitled to additional leaves for paternity, marriage and death.
What’s It?
Just after UAE announced an equal number of holidays for the public and private sector, the kingdom of Saudi has followed suit and has clarified the list of holidays. Private sector companies in Saudi will now enjoy a four-day break for Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha.
That’s not all. The ministry has also granted additional leaves for private sector employees in case of paternity, marriage or death. Also, like the public sector, the private sector will also be given the day off on National Day, which falls on September 23. However, if the National Day falls during the Eid holidays, there will be no compensation, the ministry added.
In terms of personal leaves, employees are eligible for three-day paternity leave, five-day marriage leave and an extra five days in case of a death in the family.
What Else?
The UAE government has decided to grant equal holidays for the public and private sector for 2019-2020. The UAE cabinet has granted equal holidays for the private and public sector for the year 2019-2020. This is big news for private sector employees, who had relatively lesser holidays than the public sector. Here’s the list of new holidays:
The UAE Cabinet approves public holidays for the public sector for the years 2019-2020, and grants the private sector equal holidays. The decision aims at achieving a balance between the two sectors and supporting the national economy. #UAEGov pic.twitter.com/VqQqU8IBFx
— UAEGov (@uaegov) March 5, 2019
Meanwhile, we’ve got the full list of anticipated UAE public holidays for this year. The exact dates of Islamic celebrations vary every year depending on moon sighting. Although the festival of Ramadan is months away, predictions are in full swing and astrologers have predicted when the Holy month is expected to begin. The Sharjah Planetarium has predicted that Ramadan in the UAE is most likely to begin on May 6. The moon will be formed on 5 May but will be visible to the human eye only post sunset.
Meanwhile, here’s the complete list of UAE holidays this year:
Wednesday 3 April: Isra’a Wal Mi’raj (Prophet’s Ascension)
Monday 6 May: Start of Ramadan
Tuesday 4 June: Eid Al-Fitr
Sunday 11 August: Arafat (Haj) Day
Monday 12 August: Eid Al-Adha
Friday 30 August: Hijri (Islamic New Year)
Sunday 10 November: Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday
Saturday 30 November: UAE Commemoration Day
Monday 2 December: UAE National Day