Lebanon celebrates Labor day on May 1, which happened to be on Sunday this year. We usually get the next working day instead but since we are celebrating Easter today, Prime Minister Salam decided to just ignore that holiday that we are all entitled to.
The idea from Labor day is to give all this country’s workers a break to honor their contributions to Lebanon’s well-being and prosperity, or whatever is left of that. I just got back from Rome and nearly all stores were closing on that day, except few ones in tourist areas.
Since it’s not common for shops to close down on Sundays, labor day should be set on a working day (first Monday of May for example). If the government and parliament celebrate Labor day every day, that’s not the case for most hard-working Lebanese.
Let’s not forget also that domestic workers are also workers, and that they are still being treated as slaves in this country because our government still refuses to annul the Kafala system.
You guys have the most freaking holidays dude!!!..and you are still complaining? Instead of taking the day off increase productivity. 😀
On this side of the pond we have only eight statutory holidays per year…So cry me river boss. 😛
Especially for you dude. 😀
A DAY OFF!
SO YOU WANT A DAY OFF. LET’S TAKE ALOOK AT WHAT YOU ARE ASKING
FOR!
THERE IS 365 DAYS PER YEAR AVAILABLE FOR WORK. THERE IS 52 WEEKS
PER YEAR IN WHICH YOU ALREADY HAVE TWO DAYS OFF PER WEEK,
LEAVING 261 DAYS AVAILABLE FOR WORK. SINCE YOU SPEND 16 HOURS
EACH DAY AWAY FROM WORK, YOU HAVE USED UP 170 DAYS, LEAVING
ONLY 91 DAYS AVAILABLE. YOU SPEND 30 MINUTES EACH DAY ON
COFFEE BREAK THAT ACCOUNTS FOR 23 DAYS EACH YEAR, LEAVING
ONLY 68 DAYS AVAILABLE. WITH A ONE HOUR LUNCH PERIOD EACH DAY,
YOU HAVE USED UP 46 DAYS, LEAVING ONLY 22 DAYS AVAILABLE FOR
WORK. YOU NORMALLY SPEND 2 DAYS PER YEAR ON SICK LEAVE. THIS
LEAVES YOU ONLY 20 DAYS AVAILABLE FOR WORK. WE ARE OFF FOR 5
HOLIDAYS PER YEAR, SO YOUR VAILABLE WORKING TIME IS DOWN TO 15
DAYS. WE GENEROUSLY GIVE YOU 14 DAYS VACATION PER YEAR, WHICH
LEAVES ONLY 1 DAY AVAILABLE FOR WORK, AND I’LL BE DAMNED IF
YOU’RE GOING TO TAKE THAT DAY OFF!!!!!
I agree with your suggestion Najib, it would make better sense to fix most non-religious holidays to be on a working day, preferably on Monday. It will also make better sense commercially and economically.
Yeess, in foreign countries, shops close on Sundays ,on holidays while in Lebanon, 24 hrs isn’t enough anymore