KUCHING: Employees covered under the Sarawak Labour Ordinance will receive replacement public holidays on June 3 and June 4, 2026 following overlaps involving Wesak Day, the King’s Birthday and Gawai Day.
In a statement issued today (April 20), the Sarawak Labour Department said the overlap occurs because Wesak Day falls on May 31, 2026, while the Birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the first day of Gawai Day both fall on June 1, followed by the second day of Gawai Day on June 2.
Under subsection 104(1) of the Labour Ordinance (Sarawak Cap. 76), the King’s Birthday is a compulsory public holiday that must be granted to employees and cannot be replaced with another day.
However, Wesak Day as well as the first and second days of Gawai Day are public holidays observed based on the religion and culture of employees, and replacement leave applies if these fall on rest days or overlap with other public holidays.
Accordingly, June 3, 2026, will serve as the replacement public holiday for Wesak Day if it falls on an employee’s rest day, while June 4, 2026, will be the replacement public holiday for the first day of Gawai Day, which coincides with the King’s Birthday.
The department added that the replacement dates may be changed to another day through mutual agreement between employers and employees in line with subsection 104(2) of the Ordinance.
Employees required to work on the affected public holidays or replacement days are entitled to public holiday pay rates as provided under subsections 104(6) to 104(9) of the same Ordinance.
