Tuesday 23 / April / 2024
Muscat: Employees who worked during the Eid holidays this year are entitled to monetary compensation or compensatory off.
The Labour Law in the Sultanate of Oman clearly outlines the employees’ rights regarding work on official holidays, including Eid, National Day, etc.
Speaking exclusively to Times of Oman, representatives of Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm, said, “Article 65 of the Omani Labour Law states that the worker shall be entitled to his/ her gross wages during holidays and other official occasions, as may be specified in the decision of the minister.
“There are various situations that should be taken into account while defining employees’ rights for compensation during official holidays that include Eid, National Day and a few others,” said Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Zadjali, Chairman of Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm.
He explained that the first situation would occur if the holiday is on an employee’s working day and he/ she gets a day off, and secondly, if the holiday falls on an employee’s working day and he/ she is required to work on that day.
“There can also be a situation where the holiday is during an employee’s annual leave period, and lastly, what compensation the employee is entitled to receive when the official holiday coincides with his/ her weekly rest days, for instance, on a Saturday,” Al Zadjali said.
Another spokesperson of the law firm said that in the first situation, when the employee gets a day off on an official holiday, he/ she is entitled to receive the usual and full salary for that day(s).
“The law further specifies that the worker may be asked to work on an official holiday if the circumstances of the work so require, and in such case, the worker shall be entitled to receive his/ her gross wage for such day with an additional amount of not less than 25 per cent, or alternatively, a rest day.”
He added that if the official holiday falls during the period of an employee’s paid annual leave, then he/ she shall not be entitled to any compensation thereof.
Regarding the fourth case - the interference of a national holiday with the weekend or weekly rest day of the employee, the expert said the worker shall be compensated by an ‘off’ on another day.
“This means in practice that if an official holiday falls, for example, on a Saturday, which is a rest day for most employees, those who don’t work on that day are entitled to get an extra day as compensation for that (Saturday) holiday,” the expert explained.
Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm ([email protected]) was established 15 years ago and is serving clients through its offices in Muscat and Sohar, as well as operating on a request basis in other areas, such as Duqm.
It offers legal representation across a wide range of practice areas that include labour law, corporate, commercial, contracts, banking and finance, international trade, foreign investment, insurance, maritime law, construction and engineering contracts, international arbitration, intellectual property and more.
