No long weekend
Have you been holding your breath all weekend for another holiday? Then we are sorry to disappoint you. Private and public workers in the UAE will not be getting a a day off to celebrate the Islamic New Year.
Today, the Federal Authority for Human Resources and Emiratisation announced that Saturday, August 31, would be the start of the Islamic New Year. It was previously believed that the Hijri New Year may fall on Sunday, September 1, which would have meant another long weekend for citizens of the UAE.
إلحاقاً لتعميم الهيئة بشأن #إجازة_رأس_السنة_الهجرية في الحكومة الاتحادية، وفي ضوء إعلان الجهات المختصة في الدولة بأن السبت هو الأول من محرم 1441 هجرية، وعليه ستكون إجازة رأس السنة الهجرية يوم السبت 31 أغسطس 2019@wamnews @MSDAR_NEWS @UAE_BARQ
@Sharjahnews
@sharjah_radio pic.twitter.com/eHxtuU4fm4— FAHR (@FAHR_UAE) August 30, 2019
Earlier this month, the authority said that both public and private sectors would enjoy a day off on Muharram 1, Hijri 1441. However, it was not clarified which day that coincided with on the Gregorian Calendar. Therefore, work will resume as usual on Sunday.
In March, the government sent out a tweet from their official Twitter account, saying that it will be granting equal days off in an effort to achieve a balance between the two sectors and supporting the national economy. Previously, the public sector enjoyed longer holidays, as they were given additional days off, but starting this year, both sectors will be given 14 days of national holiday.
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
