UAE announces Eid holiday for private sector

A private sector holiday has been declared for the coming weekend

June 12, 2018

The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has announced a national holiday for private sector employees to mark Eid Al Fitr.

Private sector staff will be off for the first and second days of the month of Shawwal (expected to be either Friday and Saturday or Saturday and Sunday), the ministry said on Twitter.

#وزارة_الموارد_البشرية_والتوطين تقرر أن يكون يوما الأول والثاني من شهر شوال لعام 1439هجرية اجازة مدفوعة الأجر لجميع العاملين في منشآت ومؤسسات وشركات القطاع الخاص في الدولة بمناسبة عيد الفطر المبارك.

— MOHRE_UAE (@MOHRE_UAE) June 12, 2018

Minister of human resources and Emiratisation Nasser bin Thani al-Hamli congratulated the country’s leaders, citizens and residents on the occasion.

A similar announcement was made yesterday by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources regarding public sector workers.

Read: UAE announces Eid holidays for public sector

The ministry’s circular means private sector workers with a Friday/Saturday weekend could potentially receive no extra days off.

This will be determined by a moon sighting committee, which is set to meet after Maghrib prayers on the evening of Thursday, June 14 to decide whether Ramadan will end the next day, according to a decree from justice minister Sultan Bin Saeed Al Badi Al-Dhaher.

However, school children in Dubai will be off from Thursday to Sunday for Eid regardless, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority said on Tuesday.

Read: Eid holidays announced for Dubai schools

Eid Al Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan – when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset – and the start of the Shawwal month.

The first day of Eid is officially announced after the sighting of the crescent moon, but astronomers predict that it will fall on Friday, June 15 this year.

Based on that, Ramadan, which began on Thursday, May 17, is expected to run for 29 days.

Last week, Oman’s government declared that both private and public sector workers in the country will be off from Thursday, June 14 until Monday, June 18. They will resume work from Tuesday, June 19.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman also issued a directive last Tuesday to extend this year’s Eid Al Fitr holiday.

Under the plans, government and military staff will receive around a full working week off to mark the holiday. They will resume work on Sunday, June 24.

Other