Must admit they did give us a year's notice but this new Family & Community Day public holiday scheduled for Monday 27 September has caught me pretty much unawares.
My initial reaction on finding out was ... "What a load of touchy-feely wank!". Seriously, this is the kind of rot that you'd expect from a Labor-Green coalition. Gather the family and community around, sing Kumbaya, bask in the love of one and all.
I noticed in the Chief Minister's press release on his website that the whole silly saga had the support of Unions ACT. Now isn't that a surprise! I doubt if a labour organisation would ever knock back another public holiday for the poor old down-trodden prols who pay their union fees. Bit of a free kick for the unions as they are the tail that wags the ACT Government dog. Read the touching epistle here.
Why, you ask perplexed, would you be so anti this Peter? Good question! Since becoming a business owner several years ago I tend to see public holidays as being a nuisance, they effect business, there are staffing issues, it costs money.
Obviously I accept the fact we currently have 12 public holidays per year and have done so for many decades, it's a fact of life. But to create one for no particular reason other than to let the over-worked toilers of the territory gambol through Floriade on a cool spring Monday just takes the bloody cake.
What makes it worse, the rocket scientists who infest the bureaucracy have scheduled it for the week before the October Labor Day long weekend. Two long weekends in two weeks! Sheer bloody luxury I tell you! Just imagine how much work will get done around the capital over those two weeks.
In my twisted mind I imagine most pubes will flex off on each of the Fridays. Mr or Ms Pube says "Shit! That means I have to come back to work on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday before I flex on Friday! I'd better take a few reccies as well!" Sweet!
As for the poor mugs in the private sector I guess shit just happens.
Anyway, enough of my rant. I have a lot of trouble coming to grips with this sort of thing. With a Labor-Green Wank Fest in the House of Reps and Senate imagine what kind of time small business is in for on a federal level!
Gotta run, need to brush up on how to strum Kumbaya
Hugs and communal love
Pedro
Well, Pete...Family and Community Day actually replaces the old Union Picnic Day. When Workchoices was introduced, Union Picnic Days were no longer allowed, so the unions petitioned the ACT Govt for a public holidays for ACT workers in lieu of it. (Didn't you notice the lack of the extra public holiday for certain sectors in March?)
ReplyDeleteFor the past 3 years, Family and community day was held on Melbourne Cup day - and whilst the public loved it (they could go to the races, have Melb Cup day BBQs etc without having to chuck a sickie), business moaned. "Our restaurant and cafe turnover dropped....blah blah"....
So, in response to public survey, it was changed to the first Monday of the September school holidays - when a lot of peeps take time off work anyway to look after their kids. That it happens to co-incide with the Labour Day Holiday the following week is just lucky on the working schmucks part.
Oh - and I can tell you all of this with a good deal of knowledge on the topic. You see, I was the Office and Finance Manager at UnionsACT when all this happened. I look forward to seeing your rendition of Kumbaya posted on YouTube ;)
You raise some valid points Bella. True, the Union Picnic Day was scrapped, however it was never a holiday for everyone and you had to attend the picnic to get paid for the day off.
ReplyDeleteIf my memory serves me correctly, public servants got an additional public holiday between Christmas and New Year in lieu of Trades and Labour Picnic Day.
I too had some involvement in the union movement, especially during the Howard Tyranny, marching through Civic with my little placcard on a stick shouting "Shame Howard! Shame!"
I was a workplace delegate and divisional councillor for the Technical, Communications and Aviation division of CPSU for several years and a thankless task that was.
What I am trying to point out, in my own sarcastic way, is that business and small business in particular, can have a rough time providing for their workers without additional burdens bought about like this one.
I know you also run your own show, it can be a tough gig at times with a lot of worry and sometimes I actually wonder whether it's all worth it when you could be licking stamps in the registry of the Department of Inconsequential Services and making $40K-$50K a year with no bloody worrys other than when your next public holiday comes around.
There are, of course, some benefits in having your own business, it's not all gloom and doom.
My guitar lessons are progressing well.
Officially, you had to attend to get the day off....but only bastard employers (such as the ACT Govt!) actually forced their employees to purchase a ticket. I lost count of the amount of tickets we would sell the week or 2 after the day because of bosses asking to see a ticket.
ReplyDeleteAnd yep, we run our own show...but a few years ago now we took the step of still charging our clients for public holidays - because we still have to pay our staff...