Cairo: Official holiday rules for government employees in Saudi Arabia marking the kingdom’s main national occasions have been amended, according to a local newspaper.
The amendments were made in a circular issued by Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al Rajhi to the government institutions, which apply the civil service bylaws to their employees, Okaz added.
The amendments are pertaining to the holidays of the Kingdom’s Founding and National Days, marked on February 22 and September 23 respectively every year.
According to the amendments, should the National Day or the Founding Day coincide with Saturday, employees would get the following Sunday in lieu.
In case any of both occasions fall on Friday, employees would get the preceding Thursday a holiday in compensation. Friday and Saturday are the weekend in Saudi Arabia.
However, if the holiday of the National Day or the Founding Day coincide with any other official holiday, the employee would not be compensated, the ministerial decree has noted.
According to another amendment, if the holidays of the Islamic feasts, the National Day and the Founding Day coincide with the employee’s regular leave, their duration would not be calculated as part of this leave.
Public sector employees in Saudi Arabia will obtain a two-day holiday later this month on the occasion of the kingdom’s Founding Day, which will be celebrated for the second year in a row. They will get a holiday on February 22 and 23.
Last year, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz declared February 22 every year as the kingdom’s Founding Day and an official holiday.
The Founding Day commemorates the founding of the first Saudi state in 1727 by Imam Mohammad bin Saud.
The Saudi National Day, annually celebrated on September 23, marks the foundation of Saudi Arabia by King Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud.
