JEDDAH: The board of directors of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) has reversed a decision to change its weekend to Fridays and Saturdays.
The JCCI announced last week it was switching its weekend starting April 1 and that the JCCI board of directors had unanimously approved the move. However, a circular issued by the board of directors yesterday asked staff members to take note of new timings from April 1, which include the whole of Thursday and Friday off. Staff at the JCCI previously used to work half day on Thursdays.
Al-Sharif Awad Al-Hibaili, chairman of the JCCI Labor Committee, said a number of staff members had reservations about Saturday being a holiday and asked the board to reverse the decision to change the weekend. “The board of directors showed understanding toward the staff’s request and revoked its earlier decision,” he added.
A number of Gulf countries have changed their official weekly holidays to Fridays and Saturdays from Thursdays and Fridays.
Abdullah bin Marei Bin-Mahfouz, deputy chairman of the JCCI, categorically denied that the rescinding of the decision was the result of outside pressure. He added that the decision was taken considering the convenience and the well-being of staff. He said even though the whole of Thursday was now considered an official JCCI holiday, some departments would continue business as usual, especially the Department of Subscriptions and Approvals.
The Labor Ministry has asked companies and establishments in the private sector to grant employees a full two-day weekend, but has left to them to decide which days. Many of them, however, will not give their staff more than one day in weekly off. Employees in the public sector enjoy a two-day weekend.
