ABUDHABI: The UAE federal authorities have officially announced the upcoming Eid Al Etihad (National Day) public holidays for both government and private sector employees, opening opportunities for residents to structure extended breaks of up to five or nine days by utilizing minimal annual leave.
Public sector employees have been granted a three-day official holiday spanning from December 2 to December 4. Meanwhile, private sector workers will receive a two-day paid leave on December 2 and December 3.
By strategically planning their leave requests around existing weekends, employees can optimize the final public holiday of the year. Federal government staff can stretch their official three-day break into a continuous nine-day vacation by taking two days of annual leave on Monday (November 30) and Tuesday (December 1).
When combined with the preceding and succeeding weekends, government workers can enjoy time off from Saturday, November 28, through Sunday, December 6.
For private sector workers, taking a single day of annual leave on Friday, December 4, allows them to bridge the official mid-week holidays with the weekend, creating a seamless five-day break from Wednesday, December 2, to Sunday, December 6.
Labor legal experts note that leave requests before or after official public holidays remain subject to employer approval based on operational requirements. Under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 governing the private sector, as well as regulations applicable to public servants under Federal Decree Law No. 49 of 2022, employees do not hold an automatic right to take leaves without prior line-manager sign-offs.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com