Egypt’s Minister of Labour, Mohamed Gobran, announced a new decree on Tuesday, 30 December, that sets out the religious holidays for Christian employees under the country’s Labour Law.
The Ministry explained that this decision ensures Christian workers are granted paid leave for their religious holidays, in line with the Constitution and existing labour laws, including holidays already recognized for both the public and private sectors.
Coptic Catholic and Protestant Christians are entitled to paid leave on their Christmas celebration, New Year’s Day, and Easter. For Coptic Orthodox Christians, the official holidays include Epiphany, Christmas, as well as Easter, Palm Sunday, and Maundy Thursday.
The decree also allows Christian workers to start their workday at 10 am on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Epiphany, as long as it complies with workplace rules.
In the past, Christian holidays were not officially acknowledged as public holidays. However, over time, the Egyptian government has made efforts to include religious diversity in its official calendar. In 2002, Coptic Christmas, celebrated on 7 January, was declared an official public holiday.
