On Friday, Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim announced May 6 (Monday) as a public holiday to facilitate those who are returning home to vote. According to the Director-General of Peninsular Malaysia Manpower Department director-general Mohd Jeffrey Joakim, employers can choose whether to give their workers a paid public holiday or a day off in lieu of the public holiday that’s been declared by certain state governments.
Joakim said in a statement that based on Sextion 60D of the Employment Act 1955, all employees were eligible for 11 paid public holidays in a calendar year including five gazetted public holidays.
Gazetted public holidays include National Day, the birth of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Sultan or Ruler’s birthday or Federal Territories Day, Workers Day and Malaysia Day.
“Other than that, any day declared a public holiday within the calendar year under Section 8 of the Holidays Act 1951 can be chosen for the six remaining days”, he said.
Executive director of Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), Shamsuddin Bardan said that the move by the Selangor and Penang state governments to declare a state public holiday might mean little as employers were not obliged to follow.
Source: The Star