Public-holiday craze strains businessmen

00:00:00 IGIHE NETWORK

KINYARWANDA

ENGLISH

FRANCAIS

Headlines

Public-holiday craze strains businessmen

By IGIHE

On 29 August 2017 at 04:30

Comments : 0

0 0

The business community and some of the traders are calling for a complete rethink over the country’s public holiday schedule, following the Umuganura holiday that was shifted on Monday, August 28th on top of the upcoming Friday Muslim holiday in space of one week.
Some of the traders in Kigali that have been interviewed by IGIHE are calling for a rethink on public holiday schedules. One of them is Moses Kalisa a trader in Kigali who thinks those concerned need to rethink about the holiday (…)

Some of the traders in Kigali that have been interviewed by IGIHE are calling for a rethink on public holiday schedules. One of them is Moses Kalisa a trader in Kigali who thinks those concerned need to rethink about the holiday schedules because it is impacting on the private sector.

“To me as a businessman, public holidays cost me in lost sales and productivity. I believe that authorities need to rethink so that people go to work because the economy suffers if people don’t work.”

Kalisa personally disagrees with the issue of shifting a public holidays from weekends to another working day. He proposed that if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, it should be celebrated thus without shifting.

“Losing two days of business – as is the case for this week – can put added strain on many businesses. We all need a break from work, but not incessantly,” another businessman who prefers not to be named said.

“We’re seeing an increasing number of holidays altogether –some of our companies now don’t give our staff the extra days off in lieu. However, this might now work for some of us because, at the end of it all, we have to pay them when the month ends.”
Over 17 public holidays are scheduled.