We won’t need the Monday off at Christmas or New Year, then

Tuesday 23rd February 2010, 2:58PM GMT.

From Jonathan Perrée.
GIVEN the recent debate on whether we should have an extra day’s holiday on Monday 10 May, may I, through your pages, ask your dear leaders the following questions?

When 25 and 26 December 2010 fall on a weekend, using States of Jersey applied rulings, none of us should have the Monday and Tuesday off in lieu. The same applies for New Year’s Day which falls on a Saturday. We’ll all have had plenty of time to sip Alka Seltzer and be ready to go back to work on the Monday, so no need for that extra pesky day off on the Monday.

Also, before any bright sparks point, ‘Ah well, me boy, you weren’t ‘ere during the Occupation’, I wasn’t there at the birth of the Saviour either, but that doesn’t stop me from having an extra day off when Jesus’s birthday falls on the weekend.

Just to also flag this as a debate, so no one can say we didn’t know about it, in 2012 it will be the Duke of Normandy’s diamond jubilee and the majority of her subjects will be getting 5 June 2012 off. I now look forward to the two years of debate as to why we can’t have the Tuesday off.

1
Adrian

February 23, 2010 at 11:25 pm

People need to realise Jersey is different and run to a different mindset. Any days that aren’t bank holidays can be eliminated if they fall on a Sunday.

Surely bosses aren’t expecting something for nothing? Working one day of your holidays means you are working for nothing in my book.

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2
Peter Anthony Troy

February 24, 2010 at 11:39 am

A very good point from Jonathan. The problem of the Bank Holiday is exaggerated by the lack of forward planning.

In my view Liberation day should be treated as specail but unlike Christmas not spoilt by commercialisation.

Just a thought, in 1945 at the time of the Liberation it was 12 May that was proclaimed a Bank Holiday.

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3
joker

February 24, 2010 at 2:52 pm

The problem here is Jonathan is trying to say that Christmas and Liberation Day are the same. Apart from the connotations of being saved (whatever you believe regarding the former) you have to look at more than just the simple fact we get a day off for Christmas and not Liberation Day.

Firstly holidays associated around the festivities are historic and were expected when under religious rule. As a result they are enshrined (excuse the pun) in law. As far as I’m aware Jersey has never had an extra days holiday when Liberation day has fallen on a Sunday because that is the law. Also and probably more relevant today is that it is widely accepted that it is a time for those fortunate enough to get together with their friends and family wherever they may be. The additional holidays help people do this and the fact there are 3 together within a week means minimum disruption for commerce etc.

If people want that law changed about Liberation Day fair enough but don’t start moaning and comparing it to other statutory days off 4 months before the event because if people really cared that much about the extra day’s holiday we’d have all researched into this years ago and seen it coming, it would be historic like Christmas day etc.. Instead the reality is people have just realised they aren’t getting the extra day they got over the last few years, feel hard done-by and so are moaning about it. Not much to do with the meaning of Liberation Day itself is it really?

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4
Helen Back

February 25, 2010 at 2:08 pm

Who is against a day off for us to celebrate Liberation day. Firstly i would like to say we and the UK have the least public holidays in the world. If anyone want to argue this please do!
The most important point i would like to make is as we are humans who live for the average age of 70 years, I would like to point out if were working all our lives till we die then why moan about a couple of holidays and time to ourselves. The chamber of commerce need to look at themselevs and look at the state there in.

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