... as parastatals report no delays
THE SA business world
is pushing for the April/
May cluster of holidays (four successive four-day weeks this year) to be spread more evenly over the year, according to Dick Downing of SACOB (SA Chamber of Business).
Not only that, he told FTW, but also reducing the number of holidays from the current 12 days a year to the western world average norm of 10 days.
The bunch-up of
public holidays encourages employees to take up some of their leave allowance over this period, Downing added. It's
a beneficial lengthening of the employee's holiday break, but an added disruption for industry and commerce - many of which are left short-staffed
over the whole four-week period, he said
Downing won't put a figure to the cost of these holidays - because not all business has a complete shut-down. "But we are certainly losing a good proportion of this country's average daily production rate of R3.2-billion in goods and services."
Labour costs are also pushed up during holiday periods, he added, as overtime comes into
play for most of those employed during the break.
But the good news this year, according to a snap FTW survey, was that the flow of goods was not disrupted unduly by shut-downs in the parastatal transport sector.
