dlk001
Executive Member
Its rather late to be only considering this now.
A rather unusual occurrence will take place on March 21, when two public holidays, namely Human Rights Day and Good Friday, fall on the same day.
Fedusa has asked the president to consider promulgating an extra public holiday to ensure that the number of public holidays in the year remains 12.
"People have not foreseen something like this happening and it causes problems for companies who will have to pay extra money on that day," says Dennis George, general secretary of Fedusa.
George says the president should consider bringing the extra day forward; "this will not interfere much with the economy".
Economists have said that lost production on a public holiday could cost billions for the local economy and therefore another public holiday will be yet another cause for the current economic downturn.
Hermann Niewoudt, labour attorney for Deneys Reitz says "nothing stops the president from promulgating another public holiday". The Public Holidays Act provides for 12 public holidays and gives the president the right to promulgate another one if he so chooses.
Cosatu believes that in principle the workers should not lose a holiday but it is going to leave it to their affiliates to negotiate. A spokesperson at Cosatu says the workers should receive as much as they are entitled to for two public holidays because this is effectively what the 21st of March is.
This would have resulted in companies paying four times the wage rate for any worker who worked on that day; luckily, according to Niewoudt this is not law. "An employee who does work on that day is entitled to the salary he normally receives times two, not times four."
"Nothing stops each trade union from deciding how they will deal with this unusual situation," says Niewoudt. According to the lawyer a number of trade unions have already decided how they will deal with the 21st however he is not at liberty to disclose this as it is in breach of client attorney privilege.
Economists say a public holiday costs the country an estimated R2,5bn in lost production, but the figure could be much higher since the production output lost in some sectors is said to run into billions.
A rather unusual occurrence will take place on March 21, when two public holidays, namely Human Rights Day and Good Friday, fall on the same day.
Fedusa has asked the president to consider promulgating an extra public holiday to ensure that the number of public holidays in the year remains 12.
"People have not foreseen something like this happening and it causes problems for companies who will have to pay extra money on that day," says Dennis George, general secretary of Fedusa.
George says the president should consider bringing the extra day forward; "this will not interfere much with the economy".
Economists have said that lost production on a public holiday could cost billions for the local economy and therefore another public holiday will be yet another cause for the current economic downturn.
Hermann Niewoudt, labour attorney for Deneys Reitz says "nothing stops the president from promulgating another public holiday". The Public Holidays Act provides for 12 public holidays and gives the president the right to promulgate another one if he so chooses.
Cosatu believes that in principle the workers should not lose a holiday but it is going to leave it to their affiliates to negotiate. A spokesperson at Cosatu says the workers should receive as much as they are entitled to for two public holidays because this is effectively what the 21st of March is.
This would have resulted in companies paying four times the wage rate for any worker who worked on that day; luckily, according to Niewoudt this is not law. "An employee who does work on that day is entitled to the salary he normally receives times two, not times four."
"Nothing stops each trade union from deciding how they will deal with this unusual situation," says Niewoudt. According to the lawyer a number of trade unions have already decided how they will deal with the 21st however he is not at liberty to disclose this as it is in breach of client attorney privilege.
Economists say a public holiday costs the country an estimated R2,5bn in lost production, but the figure could be much higher since the production output lost in some sectors is said to run into billions.
