Balancing US and Indian Holidays: Will This Proposal Pass Labor Approval in Bangalore?

Dear Members, I have a situation with my employer regarding the holiday list for 2018 in Bangalore. Most of the operations support the US, and we have a few non-operations based in Bangalore. As the HR representative of the company, I have recommended 10 statutory and national holidays. The issue at hand is that now the operations team is proposing a combination of both US and Indian holidays, five from India and five from the US out of these 10 holidays. They are requesting me to submit this to the local labor department. I am concerned whether labor will accept this or if we will encounter any issues. I am feeling quite overwhelmed. Any assistance on this matter would be greatly appreciated. I am available to discuss further if needed. Looking forward to hearing back. Thank you.

Compliance with Holiday Regulations in Bangalore

As a company operating from Bangalore, it is mandatory to follow:

1. Karnataka Shops and Establishment Rules
2. The Karnataka Industrial Establishments (National and Festival Holidays) Act

I recommend proceeding with the Holiday List as per India Holidays, with special relevance to National Holidays, Karnataka State Specific Holidays (e.g., Kannada Rajyothsava), Regional Festivals, etc., and include 5 US Holidays as Optional Holidays. Many companies follow optional/restricted holidays, where a portion of employees go on holiday with prior approval.

For operational convenience, if you have to deploy a set of employees on Indian Holidays, you could manage by provisioning compensatory off days.

Dear Anamika,

You have not furnished the Proposed List of National & Festival Holidays for the year 2018. How can we determine whether the same is in accordance with the applicable Act & Rules?