“Pakistan Government Contemplates Abolishing Saturday Holiday for Federal Employees”
The federal government in Pakistan is currently discussing a proposal to eliminate the Saturday weekly off for government employees, aiming to revert to a six-day work week. The Cabinet Division has reached out to all ministries, seeking recommendations on this matter.
In 2022, the federal cabinet had introduced a two-day weekly holiday system in government offices as part of an energy conservation plan. However, sources familiar with the situation suggest that this initiative did not yield the expected results.
It is anticipated that the recommendations gathered by the Cabinet Division will be presented to the federal cabinet for a final decision. The possibility of abolishing the Saturday off-day is expected to be deliberated upon after the Eidul Azha holidays.
Previously, the government, under the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leadership, had approved the reinstatement of the Saturday weekly off as part of the energy conservation plan. However, protests from government employees compelled the government to retract its decision to revert to a six-day work week, which was initially proposed in May 2022.
The federal government is currently in discussions regarding the proposal to eliminate the Saturday holiday for federal government employees. A decision is expected to be announced in the coming days, following the government’s request for recommendations on the matter. If approved, the two-day weekly off will cease, starting from July 1, 2024.
Presently, most federal government departments observe two weekly holidays – Saturday and Sunday. It is anticipated that there may be opposition from public sector employees regarding the proposal to reduce the number of weekly holidays.
During Shehbaz Sharif’s previous tenure, there was consideration given to reinstating the Saturday holiday for government employees. However, this decision faced significant resistance and was not implemented.
