Sarawak workers are entitled to two replacement public holidays on June 3 and 4 due to overlapping holidays for Wesak Day, the King’s Birthday and Gawai Dayak.
KUCHING: Workers in Sarawak are entitled to two replacement public holidays on June 3 and 4 following an overlap of several public holidays at the end of May and early June.
The Sarawak Labour Department stated that Wesak Day falls on May 31, while the King’s Birthday and the first day of Gawai Dayak both fall on June 1, with the second day of Gawai on June 2.
Under subsection 104(1) of the Labour Ordinance, the King’s Birthday is a compulsory public holiday that must be granted and cannot be replaced with another day.
Wesak Day and the first and second days of Gawai are public holidays observed based on the religious and cultural background of individual workers.
The same subsection provides that if a public holiday falls on a worker’s rest day or overlaps with another, the next working day must be treated as a replacement public holiday.
Workers granted holidays for Wesak Day are therefore entitled to June 3 as a replacement if May 31 is their designated rest day.
June 4 will serve as the replacement holiday for the first day of Gawai, which overlaps with the compulsory King’s Birthday holiday.
The replacement dates may be changed to another mutually agreed day between employer and employee under subsection 104(2) of the ordinance.
Employees required to work on any public or replacement holiday are entitled to holiday pay rates as stipulated in the Labour Ordinance.