# Leave deducted for taking a long weekend



## confusedbylabourlaw (Jul 6, 2013)

Hi everyone, Can anyone explain the labour law to me in regards to leave deductions for a long weekend? I've been told by my employer that if I take a long weekend, the weekend days are also deducted. So if I'm away Friday - Monday I am deducted for 4 days leave. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

Strictly following the labor law, if you report to work on Thursday, and then subsequently proceed to leave for your vacation on Friday, then the deduction is to be for Sunday and Monday only (2 days). If you were to leave on Thursday, then it would include Friday and Saturday, 5 days. 

There are employers that would not count Friday and Saturday in any scenario, but unfortunately, the labor law in this regard allows employers to use whichever system they wish really...

p.s: This is assuming the 2 days (Sunday & Monday) are not declared holidays by the government of course...


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

So just be gone Sunday and Monday


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

It won't be the labour laws that govern leave policies but your company.

Some companies include weekend days when counting leave. Others don't.

You may want to look into your contract. If it says annual days then weekends are probably counted. If it says working days then weekends aren't. 

Generally speaking if you get 30 annual days leave weekends will be counted. This seems to be more common while plenty people get 25 working days leave. It sort of balances each other out. What's confusing is if you take a solid work week off, some companies will include the bookend weekends while others won't, and some companies will deduct five days if you take Wednesday to Sunday off, yet will only take five days if you take Sunday to Thursday off and not penalise you for either weekends.

if your leave overlaps with a holiday some companies even deduct those holiday days while others won't. 

As you see there there's no set standards. I have the 25 working days to use however I wish and have never figured out why so many companies have such byzantine methodologies for calculating leave.


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

If companies deduct for government declared holidays then a case can be made to recoup those days, although seeing as how it usually isn't such a big deal, most employees do not pursue things further. One case in this regard was of the former Nakheel CEO, who took his employer to court over EOS/LS dues, of course it was worth it for him seeing as how the amount being litigated was in the millions ... 

Also while the labor law does not have a specific 'short-leave / unpaid leave' section, it's annual leave section is seen to be the basis. Although being rather ambiguous, it does in-fact govern leave policies. 

As to why employers use the antiquated methods of calculating leave, I'd just add that to large list of other antiquated employment policies followed here...


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## confusedbylabourlaw (Jul 6, 2013)

Thanks for the information! So in the scenario that a public holiday falls on a sunday and I take the monday as leave I should only be deducted for the monday, so long as I have worked the thursday? 

And if I am away for 2 weekends but worked the thursday before the first weekend my leave would be deducted from Sunday?

Thanks so much for your help!


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

confusedbylabourlaw said:


> Thanks for the information! So in the scenario that a public holiday falls on a sunday and I take the monday as leave I should only be deducted for the monday, so long as I have worked the thursday?
> 
> And if I am away for 2 weekends but worked the thursday before the first weekend my leave would be deducted from Sunday?
> 
> Thanks so much for your help!


Yes in that case, only Monday counts as a day off. If there is a work day during your leave, that precedes the public holiday (so say Saturday is not a weekend day but rather a work day and Sunday is a public holiday) then both Saturday and Sunday would be counted towards being deducted. You would be out three days (including Monday), but the way you describe it only Monday would be counted towards leave. 

About the 2 weekend thing, Yes it would start from Sunday, but the second weekend would count towards leave days...


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## Terry Cruise (Jun 5, 2014)

Mine just happened recently. I took a vacation leave from may 15th to the 24th came back not knowing that the 25th was declared as a holiday. My employer told me that the 25th has to be deducted on my salary as well. Is this right?


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## JonGard (Aug 18, 2013)

Terry Cruise said:


> Mine just happened recently. I took a vacation leave from may 15th to the 24th came back not knowing that the 25th was declared as a holiday. My employer told me that the 25th has to be deducted on my salary as well. Is this right?


In my company if it's already a booked day off you don't get the Public Holiday.


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## Terry Cruise (Jun 5, 2014)

But it's not. The holiday was originally scheduled May 26th. The gov't. just moved it to Sunday, the 25th a few days before. Should the company still deduct it?


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Terry Cruise said:


> But it's not. The holiday was originally scheduled May 26th. The gov't. just moved it to Sunday, the 25th a few days before. Should the company still deduct it?


Probably not.................................but - are you going to risk your job over 1 day's holiday?
Because that is the actual risk you are taking.
Cheers
Steve


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

If your contract is written to say that you get thirty CALENDAR days, you will lose any public holidays because they are calendar days. If your leave allowance is based on working days, then any public holidays that fall during the leave period do not count in the annual leave days.


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## Robbo5265 (Oct 23, 2012)

BedouGirl said:


> If your contract is written to say that you get thirty CALENDAR days, you will lose any public holidays because they are calendar days. If your leave allowance is based on working days, then any public holidays that fall during the leave period do not count in the annual leave days.


how confusing! So when it comes to deciding the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid you could end up losing a whole lot of days because the telescope committee cannot decide until about an hour before the holiday is declared!


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## majarerbac (Jul 30, 2015)

confusedbylabourlaw said:


> Hi everyone, Can anyone explain the labour law to me in regards to leave deductions for a long weekend? I've been told by my employer that if I take a long weekend, the weekend days are also deducted. So if I'm away Friday - Monday I am deducted for 4 days leave. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.


Hi, I am an HR Coordinator in the company. our company only include weekends in the event of Annual or Emergency leave as mandated (calendar days).

Lets say an employee wants to take 2 days off before a weekend, he must specify in his leave application the 2 days only. For example July 29-30. Since 31st is a Friday, his expected return is Aug 1. The employee has an option whether he wants to deduct this 2 days leave from his annual vacation (30 days) or unpaid leave.


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## Hatim (Jun 5, 2017)

saraswat said:


> Strictly following the labor law, if you report to work on Thursday, and then subsequently proceed to leave for your vacation on Friday, then the deduction is to be for Sunday and Monday only (2 days). If you were to leave on Thursday, then it would include Friday and Saturday, 5 days.
> 
> There are employers that would not count Friday and Saturday in any scenario, but unfortunately, the labor law in this regard allows employers to use whichever system they wish really...
> 
> p.s: This is assuming the 2 days (Sunday & Monday) are not declared holidays by the government of course...



Thanks for your reply, Also please advice if i am flying on thursday night after office hours completing the day job then also my leave will count from Saturday or from Friday, We are working from saturday to thursday.


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## sghkdub (Aug 5, 2016)

If this is how much your employer respects you, find a new employer.


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

erm you realise this thread is FOUR years old right and none of these posters are around anymore.

Anyway in answer to your question what's your company's leave policy? 22 working days or 30 calendar days. If it's calendar days, then the weekends are counted in the leave, if working days, weekends are not.

I used to have 22 working days, so I would go on leave from the Friday - take 5 working days sun-thurs as leave - then go back to work on the Sunday, so effectively I'd get 4 days holiday as the weekends weren't deducted. Play the system my friend.


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