KUCHING, April 20: Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan believes that having too many leaves and public holidays will have a negative impact on the economy and contribute to inflation.
According to a statement by Voon, this is in reference to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement that if Hari Raya Aidilfitri falls on Saturday, the additional public holiday will be set for Friday, while the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holiday will fall on Monday.
“This is good news for working people, but if one thinks about it carefully, it is not good news for working people if the country has too many leaves and holidays.
“This is because leaves and holidays can affect the economy and cause inflation,” he said.
He went on to say that factories and businesses would come to a halt during leave and holidays because there would be no production.
“Business owners will have to shoulder costs because although not working during leave and holidays, workers are entitled to their salaries and other entitlements.
“To defray costs, business owners may be forced to increase their profit margins and this can cause inflation.
“Workers should not be happy with too many holidays because at the end of the day, workers will find goods and services more expensive as costs incurred by business owners will be shared by them,” he added.
Furthermore, Voon stated that the country is struggling with a debt-ridden economy, with far too many citizens barely earning enough to support their families.
“To improve the economy, the government must think of how to increase production, and allowing too many leaves and holidays will undoubtedly have an impact on the economy.
He continued stating, “Many businesses and government agencies are required to close on the weekends. There are a total of 104 weekends, 14 sick days, and 17 days of public holiday time. Women are also entitled to paid leave under the law if they are pregnant.”
In addition, Voon pointed out that under the Employment Act of 1955, a woman working in the private sector is entitled to a total of 60 consecutive days of maternity leave, whereas women working in the public sector are entitled to 90 days.
“This means almost one half each, people are not working but get paid and the employers have to find ways to pay them.
“To pay them, employers must pass the burden on to them (working people) by increasing the price of goods and services for higher profit margins to offset/defray costs or salaries paid for employees’ non-working days.” — DayakDaily
