Egypt’s labour minister issues decree defining religious holidays to Christian workers

Ahram Online , Tuesday 30 Dec 2025

Minister of Labour Mohamed Gobran issued a ministerial decree on Tuesday defining the religious holidays granted to Christian employees subject to the Labour Law.

Egypt’s Minister of Labour Mohamed Gobran Photo: Egypt ministry of labour official facebook page

The move aims at reinforcing the principles of citizenship, equality, and respect for religious diversity in the workplace, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ministry added that the decision regulates paid leave for Christian workers in accordance with the Constitution, the labour law, and previous cabinet and ministerial decisions governing public and private sector holidays.

Under the decree, Christian employees are entitled to paid leave on their religious feasts in addition to the holidays stipulated in previous cabinet and ministerial decisions.

For Coptic Orthodox Christians, the recognised religious holidays include Christmas, Epiphany, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter. Coptic Catholic and Protestant Christians are entitled to paid leave on New Year’s Day, Christmas, and Easter.

The decree also allows Christian employees to start work at 10 am on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Epiphany, subject to workplace regulations.

The ministry said the decision seeks to ensure smooth workflow while safeguarding the public interest and fostering stability within work environments.

The decree will be published in the Official Gazette and will come into force the day following its publication.

Coptic Christmas on 7 January became an official public holiday in 2002, joining the nationwide celebration of Easter and the ancient spring festival of Sham El-Nessim.