Curious About Saturday Off Rules: Does a 5th Saturday Mean a Day Off Too?

Is there any rule that if the 1st and 3rd Saturdays are off, then the 5th Saturday also has to be off?

I am an HR professional in an IT company. The directors have decided that the 1st and 3rd Saturdays will be off, and according to the employees, the 5th Saturday should also be a day off. Before I joined, they were working all 6 days a week, and starting from this financial year, they have implemented this rule. Kindly let me know if there are any other rules that I need to follow.

Since your establishment falls under the respective State Shops and Establishments Act, the seventh day of the week after continuous working of six days shall be a paid holiday for the employees. This is the minimum mandatory requirement under the law.

Any additional holiday benefits beyond this are at the discretion of the employer or under the existing service regulations through collective bargaining.

For the reason that alternate Saturdays are off thus far, it doesn't follow that the 5th Saturday also has to be given off. This is a decision to be taken at the managerial level in your case. There are many organizations giving only two Saturdays off every month. Indeed, if the 5th Saturday is given off, then with that logic, the 1st Saturday of the next month has to be a working day, which will be against the new policy.