Premier Jiang Yi-huah agrees with the Legislature's recommendation that work days be flexibly adjusted to create more four-day weekends around public holidays, beginning with the 2015 New Year's holiday this January, Executive Yuan Spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun announced today.
Under this flexible scheduling arrangement, if a public holiday were on a Tuesday, then the day before it (Monday) would be made a holiday as well, and if a holiday were on a Thursday, then the day after it (Friday) would also be a holiday.
To make up for the work time lost by the extra day off (Monday or Friday), the Saturday of the preceding weekend would be made a work day. Thus, the week after an abbreviated, one-day weekend, laborers could enjoy an extended, four-day weekend.
This change is to take effect in time for the Founding Day of the Republic of China, also known as New Year's Day, on Thursday, January 1. Friday, January 2 would become a public holiday, and Saturday, December 27 a work day.
The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration (DGPA) of the Executive Yuan said that there will be nine such incidences of flexibly adjusted public holiday weekends in the 10 years from 2015 to 2024.
The Executive Yuan expects the rule change to convenience citizens' holiday travel plans and family reunions, boost domestic tourism and consumption, and drive economic growth.
The recommendation was made at a recent interpellation at the Legislature, and Premier Jiang promised that the administration would assess the issue. He then asked the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Ministry of Labor, Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) and DGPA to evaluate the situation, and he commissioned a public opinion poll by the National Development Council (NDC).
The MOEA and FSC found that businesses were open to the change because the number of work days would not be affected and that many think longer holidays would benefit domestic service industries such as tourism, wholesale and retail. Most of the labor organizations also approved of the adjustment.
With respect to private enterprises' implementation of the changes, both businesses and laborers emphasized the need for negotiation-based agreement between management and laborers on flexible scheduling.
According to the NDC, 72 percent of its poll respondents approved of using this flexible scheduling arrangement for the coming Founding Day (New Year's) weekend, and nearly 70 percent approved of making this change applicable to all public holidays.
Until now, this flexible scheduling system has only been employed for traditional holidays such as Lunar New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, not for the national memorial days of Founding Day, 228 Peace Memorial Day and Double Tenth National Day.
In addition to holiday adjustment, the Executive Yuan will continue working to improve citizens' quality of life by encouraging industries to upgrade and raise their wages, the spokesperson said.