Manama: Five Bahraini parliament members recently submitted a proposal to the government to change the two-day weekend in the country to a three-day.
The proposal aims to improve the quality of life and the balance between personal and professional lives for workers.
Parliament speaker Ahmed Al Musallam has submitted a proposal to the legislative and legal affairs committee for review to declare Friday, Saturday, and Sunday weekend holidays, as reported by News of Bahrain.
Currently, the weekend in the country is Friday and Saturday.
“In light of the developments that the world is facing across all fields…there is an urgent need to keep pace with the progress in the world, including global economic systems,” Al Alaiwi said in the explanatory note for the proposal.
“However, Bahrain is a Muslim country that has its customs and traditions on Fridays [and] that makes it difficult to accept working on this day, even if for a few hours.”
“A three-day weekend promotes work-life balance, strengthens family bonds, boosts productivity, and encourages quality work,” he added.
Al Alaiwi suggests that this system can boost tourism in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries by encouraging weekend travel, thereby enhancing economic support for the region’s countries.