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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 New rules for holidays revealed
FOUR-DAY FROLICS: Jan. 1 next year would be part of a four-day weekend. In the next decade, nine additional long weekends would be created, the Executive Yuan said
By Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter
Beginning next year, a national holiday falling on a Tuesday or a Thursday would meet the condition for a long weekend, with the Monday or Friday in between designated as a movable holiday to be compensated by a working Saturday a week before, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday.
In response to legislators’ proposal to bridge the gap between next year’s New Year’s Day, which falls on a Thursday, and the weekend that follows for a long weekend, Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chuyn （孫立群） said that Premier Jiang Yi-huah （江宜樺） has confirmed that a four-day weekend would be formed in the future whenever a public holiday occurs on a Tuesday or a Thursday, accompanied by a working Saturday in the prior week.
According to this principle, next year’s Jan. 1 would be part of a four-day weekend and render Dec. 27 a working Saturday. In the next decade, nine additional long weekends would be formed, Sun said.
The decision was made after the premier consulted financial institutions and labor and business groups, along with various government ministries and agencies, Sun added.
Business groups, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Financial Supervisory Commission, do not object to the change, since the additional holidays would be made up for and have no impact on the total number of working days; many of them believe that the extended holidays would have positive effects on the domestic service sector. Labor groups generally hold a positive view about the change as well, Sun said.
A survey conducted at the premier’s request by the National Development Council found that 72 percent of respondents support the New Year’s Day long weekend and close to 70 percent support the creation of long weekends when public holidays fall on Tuesdays or Thursdays and working on the prior Saturday.
The existing regulation on holidays stipulates that only traditional holidays, such as Lunar New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, but not national memorial days such as New Year’s Day, 228 Memorial Day and Double Ten National Day — could be long weekends if they fall on a Tuesday or a Thursday, Sun said, adding that following the implementation of the new measure, it would apply to all holidays.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
