SSP Diaries | Synchronising national holidays for productivity

IN OUR Caribbean culture, we all look forward to public holidays. Many of us wish for more rather than less. Adults relish being away from work, planning activities for families or even travelling overseas to shop or be with family to celebrate occasions. Public holidays, however, can be an inconvenience to both the employer and employee, plus a danger to economies, especially when they fall during the middle of a week!

Looking quickly at a sample of the Caribbean, namely, Jamaica, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago, one notes a range of 10 to 14 days celebrated annually across these countries. In comparison, the developed states of the UK, Canada and the USA, range from a low of eight (UK) to a high of 13 days (Canada) per annum. There is not much difference in numbers, but the way in which they are allocated speaks volumes. This could help explain why the Caribbean is a developing region and those to the north are recognised as developed nations.

Business owners and operators, regionally, are concerned about the loss of manhours and productivity that occurs when public holidays fall on what would otherwise be a normal working day. The accepted days of religious significance are not in contention, these being largely Christian communities and environments tolerant of others. The problem arises when production is disrupted midweek, for example, employees take their entitlement but are not seen in the workplace until the following week. This is common assault, especially when a medical certificate will not be required to prove reason for absence. A public holiday midweek has become an opportunity for a long weekend for many. To address this issue, which seems to be getting worse each year, it is proposed that the Government considers designating/redesignating and/or celebrating certain public holidays on Mondays or Fridays of the relevant weeks.

PRODUCTION OUTPUTS

In a further examination of the countries mentioned, one sees, in 2024, Jamaica having four out of 10 public holidays falling on a Monday. Of those remaining, three (Ash Wednesday, Christmas and Boxing Day) are cast in stone, the celebration of the others could be done on the nearest Monday or Friday to which they occur. In this way the historical significance of the date remains but there is less disruption to national productivity. Barbados has 12 holidays. Six of the total falls on a Monday; three are set in stone and the others could all be similarly adjusted. St Kitts and Nevis has 12 holidays per year. Eight of this number falls on a Monday or Friday, and the remainder could be adjusted to improve productivity. Trinidad has 14 public holidays, only three of which falls on either a Monday or Friday this year. They obviously experience a lot of ‘downtime’ in their production outputs, a lot of this could be positively reversed if this proposal were to be considered for implementation.

In the developed nations, this year, the UK reflects six out of eight of their holidays occurring on a Monday, with the remaining two (Christmas and Boxing Day) not subject to change as far as their occurrence is concerned. The USA has some 10 federal holidays (some states have additional days), six of these days are observed on a Monday or Friday, the others are steeped in history and not likely to be adjusted in any way. Canada on the other hand has 13 public holidays in 2024, with 11 of their total falling on either a Monday or Friday. Christmas and Boxing Day are the only ones out for obvious reasons. This is an example of good employer/employee and productivity relationships. If needs be, the country to study and learn from would be Canada, in this instance.

As time goes by, history has shown that developing states are more prone to declaring public holidays than are the developed. There is nothing negative about this, save that such implementations should be for good reason, speak to our achievements and culture, but must never be an obstacle to our future productivity and overall development as a people. Let us, in the Caribbean, be bold enough to learn positive lessons from others, and take steps to improve ourselves, especially in these difficult times.

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