labour law pakistan - working hours

Working Hours and Holidays

How many weekly holidays am I allowed to have?

If you are working 8 hours/day, you are eligible for one-day holiday in a week. It can be either

day in a week and can also be the day when your establishment is closed. But you need to

remember that if you are made to work on your holiday; you can’

consecutively for 10 days without being given a compensatory holiday for full

weekly holidays are paid and your employer can’t deduct money for

What if I am asked to work on a weekly holiday/rest day?

Your employer can ask you to work on a weekly holiday (Sunday) however you must have

already been granted a holiday for one whole day in one of the three days immediately before

that Sunday or will be granted a holiday immediately three days after that Sunday. An

organization requiring its workers to work over the weekend must also deliver a notice to

of labor inspector and also display a notice in the factory. There is no overtime premium for work

on weekly holidays.

Moreover, if you are made to work on your holiday; you can’t be made to work consecutively for

10 days without being given a compensatory holiday for full one day.

What are compensatory holidays under Factories Act?

If the provincial government passes an order to exempt a factory or a class of workers from

above provisions of weekly rest day and these workers are consequently deprived of any

weekly holidays, those workers will be allowed, as soon as circumstances

holidays of equal number. It is illegal for an employer to give wages to a worker in lieu of

compensatory holidays and make him work during that period.

Factories Act does not require an employer to give compensatory holidays to its workers within

a specified period of time and rather it leaves it to discretion of an employer.

According to Punjab Factories Rules, compensatory holidays should be arranged as such that

there are not more than 2 compensatory holidays in a given week. These holidays are to be

given before a worker is discharged or dismissed.

How many festival holidays are in a year? What is the difference between public, gazetted

and festival holidays?

The provincial government announces festival holidays, and these are usually 12

These are provided on full pay. However, if a holiday falls on Sunday, there is no substitution for

it.

Although law mentions only festival holidays, there is no difference in the public, gazetted and

festival holidays as they are all paid holidays.

The table below shows the expected dates for festival holidays in year 2012. It is important to

remember that the Muslim festivals are subject to the appearance of moon, so these dates may

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slightly change. If you belong to any of the non-Muslim communities, you will be granted holiday

with pay on your festivals. The provincial governments also issue notifications in this

Public/Festival Holidays in 2013

Name of OccasionDates during

2013

Eid Milad un Nabi (birth day of the Prophet

Muhammad PBUH)January 24

Kashmir Day February 05

Pakistan Day March 23

Labor Day May 01

Independence Day August 14

Eid ul Fitr August 9 -11

Eid ul Azha October 15-16

Iqbal Day November 09

Ashura/Muharram November 13-14

Quaid-e-Azam Day/ Christmas December 25

Christian Community Workers

Name of Occasion Dates during 2013 Days

Good Friday March 29 Friday

Easter (Day after) April 01 Monday

Day after Christmas December 26 Monday

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Hindu Community Workers


Holi March 26 Tuesday

Janam Ashtami August 28 Wednesday

Durga Puja October 05 Saturday

Dussehra October 14 Monday

Diwali November 03 Sunday

Sikh Community Workers


Guru Nanak's Birthday November 17 Sunday

Parsi Community Workers

Name of Occasion Dates during 2013

Parsi New Year Day (Nauroze) August 18

Birthday of Khordad Sal (Lord Zoaraster) August 23

What if I have to work on a public holiday?

Your employer can ask you to work on a public holiday. However, work on a festival/public

holiday is compensated at three times (300%) of ordinary rate of pay if substitute and

compensatory holiday are not allowed. ILO also supports compensation for working on public

holidays. In accordance with the ILO convention on working conditions in hotels

if workers are required to work on public holidays, they have to be properly compensated.

Factories Act requires employers to give their workers holidays with pay on all days declared by

the government as festival holidays. A worker may be required to work on a public holiday but

one day's additional compensatory holiday with full pay and a substitute holiday be

him. This equals to 300% of ordinary rate of wages.

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