The Ministry of Human Resources has clarified that employers have three choices when handling the additional public holiday on September 15.
In a statement today, Human Resources Ministry announced that employers must either pay employees extra wages for working on that day or provide them with a substitute holiday.
If employees work on September 15, employers can either grant them paid leave for another day or compensate them according to the public holiday work rate.
The ministry also emphasised that the Labour Department is available to assist both employers and employees with any inquiries regarding this additional holiday.
This announcement follows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s special declaration today, which the ministry welcomed.
The ministry highlighted that the announcement is good news for both public and private sector employees in Malaysia.
The extra public holiday, he said, will provide Malaysians an opportunity to celebrate unity, boost national pride, and appreciate the country’s diverse cultures and religions.
The long break can be used for leisure activities, improving employees’ quality of life while also stimulating economic activity, particularly benefiting local economies.
The implementation of this additional leave is subject to the provisions of existing labor laws, namely Section 60D (1) of the Employment Act 1955 [Act 265] for Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan, the Sabah Labour Ordinance (Cap 67), the Sarawak Labour Ordinance (Cap 76), and the Holidays Act 1951 [Act 369] as the basis for the official declaration of additional leave by the Government.
