Five long weekends in 2012
Singaporeans can look forward to five long weekends in 2012, after the Ministry of Manpower announced the dates for the 11 gazetted public holidays for next year.
This includes a four-day weekend, with Chinese New Year falling on January 23 and 24, which are a Monday and a Tuesday.
The other long weekends will be due to New Year's Day (January 1, Sunday), Good Friday (April 6, Friday), Hari Raya Puasa (August 19, Sunday), and Hari Raya Haji (October 26, Friday). For the holidays that fall on a Sunday, the following Monday will be a public holiday.
The complete list for the 2012 holidays are as follows:
| New Year's Day | 1 January 2012 | Sunday* |
| Chinese New Year | 23 January 2012 24 January 2012 |
Monday Tuesday |
| Good Friday | 6 April 2012 | Friday |
| Labour Day | 1 May 2012 | Tuesday |
| Vesak Day | 5 May 2012 | Saturday |
| National Day | 9 August 2012 | Thursday |
| Hari Raya Puasa | 19 August 2012 | Sunday* |
| Hari Raya Haji | 26 October 2012 | Friday |
| Deepavali | 13 November 2012 | Tuesday |
| Christmas Day | 25 December 2012 | Tuesday |
* The following Monday will be a public holiday
The date for Deepavali, November 13, needs to be checked against the Indian Almanac when it is available. The Ministry of Manpower will issue a statement should there be a change of date. Meanwhile, for this year, Deepavali will be celebrated on October 26, as previously announced.
Under the Employment Act, an employee who is required to work on a public holiday is entitled to an extra day's salary at the basic rate of pay, in addition to the gross rate of pay for that holiday. The employer and employee may mutually agree to substitute a public holiday for any other day.
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