There will be eight consecutive Lunar New Year holidays next year, while the number of holidays for civil servants will total 112, the Cabinet announced yesterday.
"While Lunar New Year's Eve will fall on Tuesday, Feb. 8 next year, we thought it was a good idea to make Monday a holiday so there will be eight consecutive days for New Year vacation," said Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋), director-general of the Central Personnel Administration at a press conference yesterday afternoon.
The catch, however, is that civil servants will have to work on the previous Saturday (Feb. 5) to make up for the extra day off.
In other words, the eight-day New Year holidays next year will run from Sunday, Feb. 6 through Sunday, Feb. 13 next year.
The Cabinet hopes the private sector will follow suit, although employers are entitled to make adjustments, according to the Labor Standards Act (勞基法).
The number of days off for the financial sector will be decided and promulgated by the Council for Economic Planning and Development (經建會), while those employed in the fields of traffic, medical, customs, law enforcement, fire fighting and coast patrol will take their vacations in shifts.
Lee made the remarks after reaching an agreement on the matter with government agencies and private sector leaders.
The proposed measure still needs to receive final approval from Premier Yu Shyi-kun.
Although the Council for Economic Planning and Development (經建會) argued that the nation's total production value is estimated to lose NT$9 billion per holiday, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said that an extended New Year holiday is conducive to easing traffic congestion.
This is the second time the Lunar New Year holiday has been extended since the five day work-week was established -- for some -- in 2001.
In addition to the eight-day New Year holiday, there will also be two three-day holidays next year.
They are the Peace Memorial Day on Feb. 28 and Double Ten National Day on Oct. 10.
While the Peace Memorial Day will run from Friday, Feb. 26 to Monday, Feb. 28 next year, the Double Ten National Day will run from Friday, Oct. 8 to Monday, Oct. 10 of next year.
According to a measure regulating civil servants' holidays, civil servants are entitled to have one day off on a memorial day or festival and three consecutive holidays for the Chinese New Year.
Memorial days that are national holidays are the Founding Day of the Republic of China on Jan. 1, the Peace Memorial Day on Feb. 28 and Double Ten National Day on Oct. 10.
Festivals from the lunar calendar that are designated as national holidays are the Chinese New Year (the first day of the first month), Tomb-sweeping Day (the fourth day of the fourth month), Dragon Boat Festival (the fifth day of the fifth month).
Others include The Mid-autumn Festival (the 15th day of the eighth month) and the New Year's Eve (the last day of the 12th month).
Memorial days that are only observed and not marked with a public holiday are the anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's (孫中山) death on March 12, the Revolutionary Martyrs' Day on March 29, the anniversary of the death of the late president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) on April 5, Confucius' birthday on Sept. 28, Chiang's birthday on Oct. 31, Sun's birthday on Nov. 12.
Dec. 25 is Constitution Day in Taiwan.
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