Festival goes negative ("Russian Newspaper", 19.01.2015)

The Russians do not work and rest every third day of the year, estimated the State Duma. And decided "to turn the fairy tale into reality," cutting the New Year's holiday and generally reducing the number of days off.

Legislation, limiting the Christmas holidays to four days of rest and repealing transfer public holidays if they fall on a weekend, submitted to the Duma.

Out of 365 days in the year, working days are only 247 (or 68 percent), while the remaining 118 days (32 per cent) - weekends and holidays, according to the explanatory note. New Year's vacation this year lasted for 11 days - from 1 to 8 January, established by the Labor Codex, plus the days fall on a weekend, moved to the next weekdays.

In addition, Sunday, January the 4th is rescheduled for Monday, May the 4th. So that the May holidays this year be held too - 4 days on May Day and three - on Victory Day. And so long rest is not profitable for the economy. "Simultaneous withdrawal of Russian citizens almost fortnightly vacation causes serious damage to the domestic economy, the size of which, according to experts, can reach a trillion rubles, or 1-1.5 per cent of GDP," - said in an explanatory note. Such a long vacation gives a negative effect on the society order. Despite the fact that during the holidays the overall statistics of crime is improved, due to aggravated life of law enforcement bodies, the number of violent crimes is growing, as most of them committed on domestic soil after the feast intoxicated, explain deputies.

In this regard, parliamentarians recalled the practice of the past days: since 1898, for almost a hundred years a day off was only on the 1st of January.

Then, in 1993 the day off on the 2nd January was added, and from 2005 the holidays were from 1st to 5th January. Now offered to "mix" the practice of the past hundred years and make non-working holidays on December 31 and 1, 2, 3 of January. And refuse to transfer mechanism non-working public holiday if it falls on a weekend. And in order to "sweeten" the pain of the events' loss - increase the length of paid leave from 28 days to 31. "The legislation proposes to citizens to choose an acceptable leisure time for them, extending the duration of vacation of workers which can be used in the period of 4-6 and 8 January that does not create additional inconvenience to the Russians, who for 10 years have got used to a long New Year holidays " - confirmed in the document.

The legislations with variations on the theme of reducing annual holidays appear like mushrooms on the eve of the New Year and May holidays or at the end of these holidays. The arguments of the initiators are always the same. Most often, they are reduced to "economic losses" and "alcoholism population", but the legislations get any support among colleagues-deputies and the government. Confirms this statement by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev on the New Year's meeting of the Russian tripartite commission on regulation of social and labor relations, when he admitted that a vacation is not very positive effect on the economy, but are useful for people because they give an opportunity to relax, ski, spend time with family. "I had a feeling that we have a rest more than anyone else. I thought the Christmas holidays in Europe. They rest as much as we do, one to one", - he said.