Morocco Leads Arab World in Official Holidays
In a written response to a parliamentary question from the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Minister Delegate for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, revealed that Morocco observes 17 official holidays per year.
'Morocco has a satisfactory number of official holidays during which work is suspended, with 17 days compared to 13 days in Egypt, 9 days in Algeria, and 15 days in Tunisia,' El Fallah Seghrouchni stated.
These official holidays are governed by Decree No. 2.77.169 dated February 28, 1977, which established the framework for religious and national holidays in public administrations and institutions.
Read also: Schools Across Morocco Urged to Continue Classes After Eid Al Adha Holidays
The private sector, meanwhile, benefits from 13 official paid holidays according to Decree No. 2.04.426 issued in December 2004, which regulates paid holidays in industrial, commercial, professional, agricultural, and forestry enterprises.
'Several private institutions adopt the same number of holidays as the public sector,' the minister noted.
Regarding religious holidays specifically, El Fallah Seghrouchni pointed out that Eid al-Adha celebrations in various Muslim countries range between one and three days, similar to Morocco's practice.
Any potential revision of holiday regulations would require comprehensive stakeholder involvement, according to the minister. 'Studying the possibility of revising the decrees regulating official and religious holidays requires involving all public and private sector stakeholders to address the issue from various economic and social perspectives,' she explained.
The minister also mentioned that Moroccan legislation provides for exceptional leave allowances. 'The Moroccan legislator has established, alongside the administrative leave system, exceptional leave or permission to be absent, granted to employees who provide family justifications or exceptional reasons, not exceeding ten days per year,' she elaborated.
'This system of leaves collectively aims to ensure decent working conditions for employees on one hand, and guarantee the continuity of public services on the other.'
She further noted that Article 3 of Decree No. 2.05.916 issued in July 2005, which determines working days and hours in state and territorial administrations, allows for exceptional work stoppages by decision of the Head of Government.
On several occasions, such as during Eid al-Fitr, work has been suspended exceptionally to facilitate citizen travel and reduce traffic congestion on various national road networks coinciding with these religious occasions. Tags: Amal El Fallah SeghrouchniOfficial holidays
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