A move to shift public holidays that fall two days before or after a weekend with a view to reducing absenteeism at work has been rejected by the Shura Council.
The services committee recommended rejecting two proposals in this regard after consultations with relevant authorities and parties concerned.
They proposals include amendments to the 2010 Civil Service Law and the 2012 Public Sector Employment Law.
During yesterday’s weekly session, 29 members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly voted against the move, including chairman Ali Saleh Al Saleh, five voted in favour and six abstained.
The proposals submitted by the chamber’s human rights committee vice-chairman Darwish Al Mannai sought to club the public holidays with weekends.
The provisions would have only applied to the two-day National Day holidays, Labour Day, Prophet Mohammed’s Birthday, the Islamic New Year and the Gregorian calendar New Year holiday.
The three-day Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha and the two-day Ashoora holidays were not included in the proposals.
Shura financial and economic affairs committee chairman Khalid Al Maskati, who is a well-known businessman, said the move would have been impractical.
“Employees have every right to mark public holidays on the day and not before or after two to three days,” he said, pointing out that an employer and employee can agree that work could be done on the public holidays in exchange for fair compensation.
“The Cabinet already has the right to move around public holidays in extreme cases so as not to affect work flow, but this has never happened because it is impractical and would cause unnecessary confusion.
“In the case of emergency public services such as health and electricity and water, a different work system is followed.”
Sabah Al Dossary, who is a former Labour and Social Development Ministry under-secretary, said the move would have robbed the workers of their rights.
“Employers want to be with their families during holidays and having a breadwinner working on the day and their family left without them is wrong,” he said.
Mr Al Mannai said losses to the economy and businesses were huge as many took sick leave to stretch the holiday.“The move will reduce absenteeism and sick leave at work which are taken to extend the holidays by stretching them to weekends,” he added.
“One holiday in the middle of the week costs around BD2 million.
“The new practice is already being followed in both the government and private sectors in the UAE and Kuwait.”Woman and child committee chairwoman Dr Ibtisam Al Dallal said those with sick leave were not allowed to travel.
“That’s a way to control misuse of sick leave.”
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
© Copyright 2020 www.gdnonline.com
Copyright 2020 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
