National Holidays on Weekends in Karnataka: Can We Swap Them for Festival Days?

Dear All,

This year in 2020, three of the national holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday in Karnataka. Employees are requesting compensation for these three national holidays by providing three other festival holidays. Is it permissible according to the law to compensate national holidays with festival holidays? Please advise.

Falling of national or festival holidays on weekly holidays is a natural coincidence. Legally speaking, such days need not be compensated, construing such a phenomenon as a loss to the employees. Granting compensatory holidays in equal proportion can be considered as a gesture of goodwill.