The Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Migration of Kyrgyzstan has prepared a draft law, according to which some public holidays will become working days. The document has been submitted for public discussion.
Officials propose to declare such public holidays as February 23 (Defender of the Fatherland Day), April 7 (April Revolution Day) and November 7-8 (Days of History and Memory of Ancestors) working days. They explain that the reduction in the number of days off will have a positive impact on the country’s economy.
«Additional holidays and days off increase labor costs and reduce productivity, as many companies cannot operate at full capacity due to lack of employees on these days. In addition, additional days off can mean significant financial costs for many small and medium-sized businesses,» the background statement says.
The department notes that February 23, April 7 and November 7-8 are public, but not national holidays.
The bill also provides for the abolition of the practice of developing additional decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers on the transfer of non-working days on holidays that fall on weekends.
The same document proposes to establish New Year holidays in early January and May holidays in early May (due to the large number of public holidays) «in order to strengthen the institution of the family,» the Ministry of Labor says.
These days will remain working for banking structures to minimize the impact on the economy.
