No May Vacation What's up with that?

[simonlaing]

Hi guys,

I am a little perturbed and confused about the recent government decision to cancel the May vacation.

Instead businesses will need to provide their workers with at least 5 days vacation days a year. October National day is still a holiday and I think they added Mid autumn day as a holiday (also known as mooncake day).

I am worried as unless you're connected with the government it might be difficult to take the time off.

Is this right? Anyone else get the low down on the changes?

Thanks ,

Simon:)

[gougou]

I had heard about plans as you mention, but the latest I've seen in writing is that May break will be shortened to just one day off (from currently 3). In turn, Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival will become public holidays.

Take two days in May, give three more over the year, makes a net benefit of one day - I'm sold.

[zhwj]

It'll work out next year because all of the proposed holidays are on or near weekends; the resulting time off will definitely be three days in a row, even though the details have yet to be worked out.

It'll be interesting to see what they do in the future when a holiday lands in the middle of the week - will they borrow two days from the following weekend to make a 3-day holiday?

[liuzhou]

What is confusing or perturbing?

They are planning to reduce the May holiday from three days to one and instead substituting three one day holidays based on traditional festivals - 清明节 Qingming (Tomb Sweeping Festival), 端午节 Duanwu (Dragon Boat Festival) and 中秋节Mid-Autumn Day.

Net gain one day.

[skylee]

will they borrow two days from the following weekend to make a 3-day holiday?

Why would they do that?

btw, are workers in China entitled to annual leave? HK workers are mostly entitled to at least 7 days of paid annual leave on top of 17 public holidays+52 sundays.

[liuzhou]

Why would they do that?

Because it's what they have been doing since October 1999.

See here.

[Rincewind]

I don't know many people that truly have a holiday as I would call it. It seems most people have to work the weekends before and after the May and October breaks. The result is that you don't really have any more time off, but rather squashed two weekends together.

I, however, working for at a private school, have the opposite. I usually work the weekends; but since the children are at the state school on the weekends before and after the Holiday, I have a break at the weekends. I then have to work during the week and evenings teaching special holiday classes.

[msittig]

the recent government decision

There has been no government decision, only a proposal released for public discussion. And the feedback so far is "not good" in more ways than one:

Positive holiday polls in doubt -- Shanghai Daily | 上海日报 -- English Window to China News

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200711/20071113/article_337935.htm

[gougou]

Interesting. Here's an article from sina.com, claiming almost 50% opposition to canceling the May holiday (although it remains unclear whether respondents even knew whether they would get other days off in return).

I couldn't find the original survey - neither on Sina nor on the 发改委's homepage. Anybody?

[liuzhou]

There has been no government decision, only a proposal released for public discussion.

True. But, have you ever seen a proposal turned down? They only get published if they are going to happen.

almost 50% opposition to canceling the May holiday

or over 50% in favour.

[simonlaing]

I think the point that there not many extended day holidays in China is important as so many Chinese work away from their home towns is important. Many people hold weddings on May and October vacation because they are long enough for people to justify coming back to their home towns.

My wedding party is rescheduled partly do to this reason.

Also Chinese people don't have the long weekend culture that I know of. A lot of people like the 4-7 tour on a bus going around.

Plus people work really hard and don't want to take unpaid days off.

(also most chinese kids don't really have a summer vacation as they are in summer school or tutoring the whole time.

have fun,

SImon:)

[msittig]

Here's the original proposal and phone numbers you can call to submit feedback:

http://www.gov.cn/zwhd/content_800330.htm

Here's the survey mentioned in the Shanghai Daily article, found through a link from Xinhuanet (found through a Google News China search for 国家法定节假日调整研究小组):

http://www.xinhuanet.com/society/diaocha01.htm

If you do a Google News search on the topic, you'll find a wide variety of opinions being published.

But, have you ever seen a proposal turned down?

Nope, but I have seen the deadline for filing personal taxes get extended at the last minute because the quotas for the percent of eligible workers filing were embarrassingly far from being met.

[gougou]

Great, thanks!

The questions are somewhat daft - the first for example being "What do you think of increasing the total number of public holidays from 10 to 11?". Not surprisingly, only 4% opposed...

The second question is more interesting, as it is the one asking about shortening the May holiday (among others... bad survey design!). Here, "only" 67% agree, compared to 80's and 90's for the other questions.

Nonetheless, I'd be surprised if the plan was scrapped again.

[liuzhou]

China's State Council on Friday approved in principle a draft plan on adjusting its national holidays and a set of regulations on paid vacations.

China Daily

[Lu]

Agree with Simonlaing, if the holiday is a week, it makes sense to sit on a train for 24 hours for the opportunity to spend some time with the family in Anhui or wherever (and because it's a national holiday, the whole family can be there). In one day, you don't even get halfway there. And then the boss says well, if you're not going home anyway, might as well come to work, I might even pay you for it. There goes the holiday.

I understand they want to solve the traffic situation, but this is not a good plan.

[芳芳]

Yeah, i really find shortenning the May vacation, even to get one extra day off is a good thing. I don't really care that much about having one day off in the middle of the week, but I appreciate having severals days off in a raw to have time to travel - and for my coworkers, to have time to go back visit their family.

[msittig]

The Shanghai Morning Post posted an article based on an interview with a Beijing prof who was on the committee that made the proposal that, as liuzhou points out above, is now official in which he says that if now big problems appear as a result of next year's May Labor Day holiday, they are also looking to similarly shorten the October National Day holiday starting in 2009.

[liuzhou]

The top headline of today's Beijing Times announces that the State Council has released a new schedule of public holidays. Under the new plan, the May Day Golden Week has been removed and replaced with three traditional Chinese holidays: the Qing Ming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The plan will go into effect on January 1, 2008.

via Danwei

So, that's that then.

[msittig]

It's been official for a while now.

My comment on the above Danwei post:

These "May holiday headlines" are crazy stupid. It's like every day they choose a different feature of the plan and stick it in the headline. First the re-arranging of the holidays, then the new paid time-off requirements, and now the overtime salary for working on the holidays. Just put it all in one article, geez.