Four-day Frolic: Government approves extra holiday day over New Year’s weekend

[snoop1130]

Four-day Frolic: Government approves extra holiday day over New Year’s weekend

By Coconuts Bangkok

 

Photo: Maciej Dakowicz/Flickr

 

Today, the government gave final approval to make Jan. 3 a public holiday, creating a four-day work break over New Year’s weekend.

 

Thaksada Sangkhachan, a government spokesperson, announced that Jan. 3, a Tuesday, will be added as a holiday. As Jan. 2 was already a holiday, this means that workers will be off from Saturday, Dec. 31, until Tuesday, Jan. 3, reported Bangkok Post.

 

It was also confirmed that Dec. 5, Father’s Day and the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s birthday, will remain a public holiday this year. It’s not yet confirmed what will happen in future years to the traditional Father’s Day.

 

Full Story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/11/22/four-day-frolic-government-approves-extra-holiday-day-over-new-years-weekend

 

-- © Copyright Coconuts Bangkok 2016-11-22

[ratcatcher]

Thaksada Sangkhachan, a government spokesperson, announced that Jan. 3, a Tuesday, will be added as a holiday. As Jan. 2 was already a holiday, this means that workers will be off from Saturday, Dec. 31, until Tuesday, Jan. 3, reported Bangkok Post.

 

Off until Wed January 4th?

[khwaibah]

Maximum carnage and mayhem on the highways as allways.

[fruitman]

Great! So they all go upcountry and BKK will be oohh soo quiet! Best time of the year!

[Thechook]

4 days for farang new year and then another 4 days for Thai new year.

[davehowden]

Thought "frolicking" was not allowed?

[NongKhaiKid]

45 minutes ago, davehowden said:

Thought "frolicking" was not allowed?

Spending will be of course so the Minister of Tourism will have already adjusted her figures to reflect travel and spending amounts but can she actually wait for the holiday to end before announcing them ?

[Dario]

More and more holidays, this is absolutely crazy. What is it good for? Not for the economy. I guess, Thailand could apply for a record in the Guiness Book of Records. Sad, sad.

[Don Mega]

Awesome, nowt wrong with an extra day off work.

[Brer Fox]

4 hours ago, Thechook said:

4 days for farang new year and then another 4 days for Thai new year.

Don't forget the Lunar New Year in February when some will declare themselves a 3 day holiday.

Declaring an extra holiday for no reason could be described as innovation. Innovation is something the PM has been pushing for for quite a while.

LOS has now become the land LOS&H.

A holiday to celebrate having the lowest growth rate of most Asean countries.

So much for Thai productivity. What's another day off when most workers already spend half their working time gazing into their electronic gadgets.

[Kasset Tak]

29 minutes ago, Dario said:

More and more holidays, this is absolutely crazy. What is it good for? Not for the economy. I guess, Thailand could apply for a record in the Guiness Book of Records. Sad, sad.

How many days vacation/holiday do you get in your home country a year? In Thailand average working people get 0 days accept the public holidays!

[freebyrd]

4 hours ago, Thechook said:

4 days for farang new year and then another 4 days for Thai new year.

 

That's not bad but it doesn't compete with 27 public holidays a year in Cambodia. And before I'm lambasted, yes I'm mindful that a good many TVF members think Cambodia is a sh**hole, a point I've dwelt on, occasionally, during my 10 years here .

[smutcakes]

39 minutes ago, Dario said:

More and more holidays, this is absolutely crazy. What is it good for? Not for the economy. I guess, Thailand could apply for a record in the Guiness Book of Records. Sad, sad.

 

Yes giving them Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd is crazy...... lighten up, nothing will happen in any countries over those dates. In most countries people get 20+ days a year leave, in Thailand they are lucky to get 10. Is it really that crazy to give them an extra day or two over new year?

No one is forcing you to take the day off if you dont want the holiday.

[monkey4u]

I guess the country needs that extra holiday so more drunks can add to the road toll

Maybe Thailand can become the number 1 place to die on the roads 

[Shawn0000]

3 hours ago, Dario said:

More and more holidays, this is absolutely crazy. What is it good for? Not for the economy. I guess, Thailand could apply for a record in the Guiness Book of Records. Sad, sad.

 

They could apply, I guess, but they would not win, India, China and the Philippines all have more holiday.  They may have "crazy" amounts of holiday compared to the likes of the UK, but then we do have the lowest number in the G20.

[DDbkh]

 
Yes giving them Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd is crazy...... lighten up, nothing will happen in any countries over those dates. In most countries people get 20+ days a year leave, in Thailand they are lucky to get 10. Is it really that crazy to give them an extra day or two over new year?
No one is forcing you to take the day off if you dont want the holiday.

The difference between giving individuals paid vacation and an enforced public holiday is that with individual vacations the business doesn't have to close, govt offices and banks don't close so the productive economy can continue. Public holidays pander to public sector and big business employees who don't have to worry about their next paycheck. The SME sector is most at risk with these extra holidays which is something the powers that be might consider in future.

[Eric Loh]

We should not be critizing the PM's only plan to stimulate the domestic economy. After all he is not an economist nor visionary. 

[freebyrd]

46 minutes ago, DDbkh said:

 

The difference between giving individuals paid vacation and an enforced public holiday is that with individual vacations the business doesn't have to close, govt offices and banks don't close so the productive economy can continue. Public holidays pander to public sector and big business employees who don't have to worry about their next paycheck. The SME sector is most at risk with these extra holidays which is something the powers that be might consider in future.

 

 

49 minutes ago, DDbkh said:

 

The difference between giving individuals paid vacation and an enforced public holiday is that with individual vacations the business doesn't have to close, govt offices and banks don't close so the productive economy can continue. Public holidays pander to public sector and big business employees who don't have to worry about their next paycheck. The SME sector is most at risk with these extra holidays which is something the powers that be might consider in future.

 

 

Let's be fair to the workforce. I run a small company with a great team of 21 people who never complain about working late, weekends, and some of them PH when others are off. Even when I was in the army, it was work hard, play hard and all work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl....or in TL's case.....

 

Frankly, I don't understand why any Farang/Barang would get pear shaped about this?

[Sphere]

16 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Off until Wed January 4th?

 

Yeah, but that is Workout Wednesday now, so as good as off until Thu, January 5th.....no wait...........that is Timeout Thursday, so off until Friday, January 6th...... 

[Anthony5]

3 hours ago, smutcakes said:

 

Yes giving them Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd is crazy...... lighten up, nothing will happen in any countries over those dates. In most countries people get 20+ days a year leave, in Thailand they are lucky to get 10. Is it really that crazy to give them an extra day or two over new year?

No one is forcing you to take the day off if you dont want the holiday.

 

Hmm, where I come from there are 11 public holidays a year, in Thailand I think it currently stands at 56 and growing.

[zaphod reborn]

Most Thai workers take annual leave around the New Year.  For most, this just saves them a day of annual leave.  Moreover, private employers are not obligated to offer the additional holiday as a paid holiday.  The Labor Code only requires an employer to designate at least 13 holidays each year, one of which must be Labor Day on May 1 (private sector only).  Some companies will honor the extra holiday, some will ask workers to trade it for another office holiday, and some will ignore it.  Just about every year, there are one or two additional holidays designated.  So far, the Cabinet has only designated holidays for the first half of 2017 due to the passing of the King.  Therefore, Jan 3 isn't necessarily an additional holiday, because no one knows what will happen with the holidays usually celebrated in the second half of 2017, particularly Constitution Day.

[IMA_FARANG]

The staff here in the residence where I live always laughs when I tell them I read statements like this one that  the government has approved a 4 day holiday for the working people.

As they say a 4 day "holiday" simply means more work for them as in more customers they have to serve.

Just another illustration of how far from reality the government is for the real workers and their real life situation.

 

[smutcakes]

10 minutes ago, Anthony5 said:

 

Hmm, where I come from there are 11 public holidays a year, in Thailand I think it currently stands at 56 and growing.

 

Most private companies give a maximun of 15 a year, and i expect Government may take an extra 5 on top of that. Perhaps you can show me your data where people are getting 56 days public holiday?

[smutcakes]

1 hour ago, DDbkh said:

 

 

The difference between giving individuals paid vacation and an enforced public holiday is that with individual vacations the business doesn't have to close, govt offices and banks don't close so the productive economy can continue. Public holidays pander to public sector and big business employees who don't have to worry about their next paycheck. The SME sector is most at risk with these extra holidays which is something the powers that be might consider in future.

 

 

Private companies normally give a set number a year. Next year they will simply give that as one of the selected public holidays and subtract one elsewhere.

[smutcakes]

9 minutes ago, IMA_FARANG said:

The staff here in the residence where I live always laughs when I tell them I read statements like this one that  the government has approved a 4 day holiday for the working people.

As they say a 4 day "holiday" simply means more work for them as in more customers they have to serve.

Just another illustration of how far from reality the government is for the real workers and their real life situation.

 

 

Yes because your one example of something someone said to you in your residence is a great example of how far the Government is from reality!  The service indistry by its nature is busier on weekends, public holiday the world over, and as such people in the hospitality industry know this and accept they often need to work on public holidays, weekends etc. They will take the days accrued leave and take it in due course.

[elgordo38]

8 hours ago, davehowden said:

Thought "frolicking" was not allowed?

This rather flies in the face of the mourning period I would think. Quite a picture at the top gives me so much faith in the younger generation. Guess their motto is live for today tomorrow may never come. I am also wondering about the tomorrow part. Time for a ginger ale. 

[siam2007]

2 hours ago, monkey4u said:

I guess the country needs that extra holiday so more drunks can add to the road toll

Maybe Thailand can become the number 1 place to die on the roads 

 

 

They are already the runner-up in this ranking, if I am not mistaken

[geriatrickid]

15 hours ago, fruitman said:

Great! So they all go upcountry and BKK will be oohh soo quiet! Best time of the year!

 

The middle class  leaves bangkok for Hua Hin. it will be  a nightmare with gridlock. I am dreading this holiday. 

[monkey4u]

45 minutes ago, siam2007 said:

 

 

They are already the runner-up in this ranking, if I am not mistaken

With the extra day they may get to first place

[roo860]

 
The middle class  leaves bangkok for Hua Hin. it will be  a nightmare with gridlock. I am dreading this holiday. 

[emoji106]

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