Weekly Rest Days and Public Holidays

What are the relevant laws on weekly rest days and public/festival holidays?

Weekly rest days and festival holidays are determined under the Factories legislation, Shops and Establishments legislation and Standing Orders legislation. The details of these laws are as under: 

Factories Legislation

1. The Factories Act, 1934
2. The Factories Act, 1934 (adapted by the province of Punjab through the Amendment Act of 2012)
3. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Factories Act, 2013
4. The Sindh Factories Act, 2015
5. Balochistan Factories Act, 2021

Shops and Establishments Legislation

1. The Shops and Establishments Ordinance, 1969
2. The Shops and Establishments Ordinance, 1969 (adapted by the province of Punjab through the Amendment Act of 2014)
3. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shops and Establishments Act, 2015
4. The Sindh Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 2015
5. Balochistan Shops and Establishments Act, 2021

Standing Orders Legislation

1. The Industrial and Commercial Establishments (Standing Orders) Ordinance, 1968 (applicable in ICT)
2. Industrial and Commercial Employment (Standing Orders) Ordinance, 1968 (adapted by the province of Punjab through the Amendment Act of 2012)
3. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Industrial And Commercial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 2013
4. The Sindh Terms of Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 2015
5. Balochistan Industrial and Commercial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 2021

How many weekly holidays am I allowed to have?

If you work 8 or 9 hours/day, you are eligible for a 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. However, if you are required to work on your holiday, you can’t be made to work consecutively for 10 days without a compensatory holiday for a full day. Your weekly holidays are paid, and your employer can’t deduct money for these holidays.

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 or any other assigned weekly rest day); however, you must have already been granted a holiday for one whole day in one of the three days immediately before that Sunday or 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 the office of the labour 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 a full one day.

What are compensatory holidays under Factory legislation? 

If the provincial government passes an order to exempt a factory or a class of workers from the above provisions of weekly rest day and these workers are consequently deprived of any of the weekly holidays, those workers will be allowed, as soon as circumstances permit, compensatory holidays of equal number. It is illegal for an employer to give wages to a worker in place 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, and instead it leaves it to the discretion of an employer.

According to Punjab Factories Rules, compensatory holidays should be arranged 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 14 in number. These are provided with full pay. However, if a holiday falls on Sunday, there is no substitute for it.

Although the law mentions only festival holidays, there is no difference between public, gazetted, and festival holidays, as they are all paid holidays.

The table below shows the expected dates for festival holidays in 2024. It is important to remember that the Muslim festivals are subject to the moon's appearance, so these dates may slightly change. If you belong to any of the non-Muslim communities, you will be granted a holiday with pay on your festivals. The provincial governments also issue notifications in this regard. The information below is based on a notification issued by the Federal Ministry of Interior.

Public/Festival Holidays in 2025

 Muslim festival holidays depend on the moon's sighting, and thus, a separate notification is issued later. The dates mentioned above are anticipated and subject to change depending on the moon's appearance. 

On bank holidays, banks are closed for public dealings only but not for their employees. 

  The dates of Muslim optional holidays are anticipated and subject to change, depending on the moon's appearance. 

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%) the ordinary rate of pay if substitute and compensatory holidays are not allowed. ILO also supports compensation for working on public holidays. In accordance with the ILO convention on working conditions in hotels and restaurants, if workers are required to work on public holidays, they have to be compensated appropriately.

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 will be allowed to him. This equals to 300% of the ordinary rate of wages.

What is the responsibility of an employer with regard to weekly rest days and festival holidays? 

Your employer is required to give you holidays with pay on all weekly rest days and festival holidays as and when announced by the government. Employers are further required to put all such information on notice boards specifying the days observed by the industrial establishment or commercial establishment as holidays. Similarly, the employees should be notified of the days and dates for such festival holidays by the employer at the beginning of the calendar year.

Click here for Urdu Version

Complete our Salary Survey