The China State Council issued a document in early August, suggesting employers across the country make flexible working arrangements and give their workers Friday afternoons off during hot summer days in order to boost tourism and consumption.
Online surveys have shown that most correspondents are in favor of the State Council's proposal for longer weekends, as two and a half days are enough even for one to plan a short journey. People will have more time to be together with their families.
However, there are doubts as to whether this well-intentioned initiative can be put into practice.While the regular two-day weekend is still a dream for a large number of working people in various industries, a two-and-half-day weekend is really a luxury many people can barely afford.
If staff workers of government department and public institutions no longer work on Friday afternoons, local residents will have nowhere to go if they have urgent issues to solve through these establishments.
Obviously, the only way out is to implement policies concerning paid annual leave in a realistic manner so that the working people can make arrangements for their days off work. As a result, holidaymakers don't need to all rush to the same scenic spots during the same period of time, which would be beneficial to the protection and operation of these spots. Thus it serves the initial purpose of boosting economic growth through developing tourism.
The government is supposed to pay more attention to the protection of labor rights and employ all possible means to ensure their holidays as well as the functions of government institutions, instead of just making economically motivated policies.
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A. Also, this is an effective way to increase consumer spending. B. The right of workers to rest and paid annual leave are protected under the law. C. A larger number of workers, if not all, will benefit from official holiday arrangements. D. Most people think that they will actually not be able to enjoy the benefits of such a scheme. E. After rest and relaxation, employees will become more energetic when they come back to work. F. Another worry is that this measure will finally be exclusively(专有地) enjoyed by a limited number of employees. G. As long as paid annual leave remains unrealistic in most industrial sectors, the two-and-half-day weekend seems pointless. |
