The Ministry of the Interior yesterday said it has amended the Memorial Days and Holidays Act (紀念日及假日實施辦法) to allow deferred holidays whenever a public holiday falls on a weekend.
Amendments to Article 5-1 and Article 6 of the Memorial Days and Holidays Act were passed, making the preceding or following day a holiday if the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the ministry said in a press release.
The amendments are to be forwarded as soon as possible to the Executive Yuan and, if approved, will go into effect on Jan. 1, the ministry said.
The ministry said that according to the law, there should be a total of 115 days off per year, including weekends and national holidays. However, since there are seven holidays that fall on weekends, including one deferred holiday for the Lunar New Year break, “most people are concerned that six of their holidays will disappear,” it said.
“To allow the public to enjoy long weekends for family reunions and to promote domestic tourism, the ministry has therefore come up with a solution to allow a deferred holiday on the previous working day whenever a national holiday falls on Saturday, and on the next working day when a national holiday falls on Sunday,” the statement said.
The ministry added that to allow businesses, government agencies and the public to take care of their businesses before the Lunar New Year holiday, deferred holidays for Lunar New Year vacation will always be postponed until after the break.
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