Unlike other Saturdays, the government officials and employees across the country worked Saturday, working for a long week after around two decades.
The government in an executive order on June 22 last declared a national holiday on July 4, extending the holiday for this year’s Eid-ul-Fitr to nine days from July 1-9 that also included two weekends.
In the order, it was also decided that all the government offices would remain open on Saturday, July 16 in exchange of enjoying a holiday on July 4.
Accordingly, all the government offices along with banks, stock exchanges, private offices and businesses and some multinational organisations remained open yesterday (Saturday). Resultantly, the current week is going to have six working days in place of usual five days after May 30, 1997.
All government, semi-government and autonomous and semi-autonomous offices, including secretariat and its subordinate offices are enjoying two-day weekend from May 31, 1997, M Alamgir Hossain, Senior Assistant Secretary, Public Administration Ministry told BSS.
Until May 29, 1997 the government officials used to have weekend for a day on Fridays and half a day off on Thursdays.
He said the government could declare any day as government holiday through its executive order under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, section 25.
