Kuwait to give state workers day off on GCC summit
New Year holiday set to run for four days
Cairo: State workers in Kuwait will get holiday on December 1 when the country hosts an annual summit of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Kuwait's Civil Service Commission issued a circular whereby all ministries, government agencies and public institutions will close on December 1 and the day will be considered off for their workers on the occasion of convening the 45th GCC summit, local media reported.
The commission has given other agencies that provide essential services the right to set their holiday in a way heeding the public interest.
Created in 1981, the GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar.
The commission is expected to propose a four-day holiday marking the New Year, Kuwaiti newspaper Al Anba reported, citing unspecified sources.
The proposal entails halting work at all ministries, government bodies and public institutions on Wednesday corresponding to January 1 being an official holiday for the New Year.
The proposal also considers Thursday, Jan 2, a day off as it falls between two official holidays. Friday and Saturday are usually the weekend in Kuwait.
The sources said in case the commission's proposal is approved the total holiday of the New Year will be four consecutive days, i.e. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and the work will resume on Sunday, Jan 5.
The overall number of government employees in Kuwait, a country of 4.9 million people, reached about 474,000 last June with Kuwaitis making up 79.6% of them, according to recent statistics.