Should Good Friday be a Public Bank Holiday?

ixoy · 30-03-2010 01:13PM

Get the Friday off (as do most people I know). Don't get the Tuesday off a a lot of people around me are getting, so have to work then.

Gummy Panda · 30-03-2010 01:23PM

I want Caturday to be a public holiday

Tigger · 30-03-2010 04:27PM

Odysseus wrote: »

I'm off Friday and get Tuesday as a privilege day, so I finish on Thursday and I'm not back until Wednesady; nice.

whats a privelledge day?

is ita public sector thingy where you have to walk to dublin on monday and it takes 2 days?

rubadub · 30-03-2010 05:02PM

Winston Gray Skirmish wrote: »

I would say your in the minority with your opinion above. Christmas is a great time of year why would you want to be working?

Yes, Christmas is a great time of year and I would apply for a few days off -but certainly not the amount I end up forced to take -esp. all in a row, I would prefer to go back to work during Christmas week and am jealous of mates who can go back to work as nothing much is going on. I would apply just like I do in the summer or whenever else I want days off. I never said I want to be working, my point is I want the CHOICE. Also the reason Christmas is good is many people are forced off at once, so you can meet up etc, I would still rather this almost nationwide compulsory holiday to be in summer with decent weather.

I would actually rather scrap the 9 public holidays and be legally entitled to 29 holidays of my own choice, but some forced ones are OK since you are guaranteed most of your mates will be off too.

Winston Gray Skirmish wrote: »

Although we are off from the 23rd of December to the about the 4th or 5th of January and it doesn't come out of our holidays we just get it as extra holidays even if I didn't I would take the extra days

Not sure what you mean there, are you saying none of your legally entitled 20 days come out of this? if so lucky you, I expect you are in the minority.

Winston Gray Skirmish wrote: »

I think having bank holidays near each other at least a few times a year is a good ideal as you can usually get a good long break if you take an extra day or two.

if the 9 extra days were your own choice you could pick them whenever you want and get the extra long break. So if the weather forecast was brutal or some concert or wedding, cheap holiday etc was coming up would would be free to pick and choose when to take off.

Winston Gray Skirmish wrote: »

As far as I can see most people are off good Friday

ixoy wrote: »

Get the Friday off (as do most people I know)

Most people I know are forced to take it off, are these people getting it in addition to the 20 days legal entitlement?

It is like some people are blind to the fact they are forced to take off good friday, or even moreso Christmas. The usual chit-chat at christmas is "when are you off until?" and if people say a lot of days it is usually greeted with "ohh, you lucky bastard" whereas I would feel sorry for people if they are being forced to take so many off. Just to see their reaction I should reply to such a person with "I am off until early February, I am forced to take all 20 days off in a row" just to emphasis that there is no "luck" involved and make them realise that they are forced.

Minstrel27 · 30-03-2010 05:08PM

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

As the title of the thread suggests, should we have a public holiday on Good Friday? The UK has a 4 day weekend coming up, and it was suggested a few years ago as part of the pay agreements that we should have the same.

My job works around the English bank holiday system so I couldn't give a **** what they do here.

thetonynator · 30-03-2010 05:12PM

rubadub wrote: »

"I am off until early February, I am forced to take all 20 days off in a row" .

I thought there were 31 days in january?? and some extra at the end of december???:D

oppenheimer1 · 30-03-2010 10:51PM

I can't say the result of the poll is a surprise, even given the anti religion ethos of after hours. I had a feeling most would sell out on their principles if it meant they'd get an extra day off.

TheZohanS · 30-03-2010 10:54PM

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

I can't say the result of the poll is a surprise, even given the anti religion ethos of after hours. I had a feeling most would sell out on their principles if it meant they'd get an extra day off.

I'm as shocked as you are.

(not really though)

Dudess · 30-03-2010 11:44PM

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

I can't say the result of the poll is a surprise, even given the anti religion ethos of after hours. I had a feeling most would sell out on their principles if it meant they'd get an extra day off.

But if they're anti religion, how are they selling out their principles?

There isn't that much of a gap between the two results in fairness...

I agree with others that there is too much of a concentration of bank holidays during the spring/early summer period. October weekend to Christmas seems far too long, given the gloomy time of year, without a bank/public holiday. Ditto new year's to St Patrick's Day.

oppenheimer1 · 30-03-2010 11:58PM

Dudess wrote: »

But if they're anti religion, how are they selling out their principles?

There isn't that much of a gap between the two results in fairness...

I agree with others that there is too much of a concentration of bank holidays during the spring/early summer period. October weekend to Christmas seems far too long, given the gloomy time of year, without a bank/public holiday. Ditto new year's to St Patrick's Day.

Well the question was would you like another public holiday, even if it marks a Christian feast. While I figure that the vast majority would like another public holiday regardless of what day it fell on, I asked specifically about Good Friday. Given that most polls with a religious theme on AH are strongly anti Catholic/Christian in the ratio of about 9 to 1, the fact that this poll is close to 50:50 suggests to me that if it means a day off, people don't care what it honours. This is despite often protesting about links between church and state. In my view that is selling out.

All for the price of a day off.

I Drink It Up! · 31-03-2010 12:50AM

Good Friday should be set aside for the flagellation of the people who are employed in the Passport Office.

landsleaving · 31-03-2010 12:53AM

Does this thread have to be about ships now too?

I Drink It Up! · 31-03-2010 01:07AM

landsleaving wrote: »

Does this thread have to be about ships now too?

:D.....Maybe....if I can't get a fecking plane out of here....:cool:

thebman · 31-03-2010 01:34AM

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

I can't say the result of the poll is a surprise, even given the anti religion ethos of after hours. I had a feeling most would sell out on their principles if it meant they'd get an extra day off.

Anti-religion I doubt. Non-believers maybe.

Either way if your not religious, its just a day off. If you are you have to go to mass.

I think I we have a clear winner on our hands :P

rubadub · 31-03-2010 03:07PM

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Well the question was would you like another public holiday, even if it marks a Christian feast. While I figure that the vast majority would like another public holiday regardless of what day it fell on, I asked specifically about Good Friday.

I did not pick that up from your OP. It was a bit vague and the poll could have done with a lot more options especially as you are now trying to analyse your ulterior motive for posting it. (i.e. to prove people are "sellouts")

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

it was suggested a few years ago as part of the pay agreements that we should have the same. The government at the time rejected it. However I ask would you want it now even if it recognises another Christian holiday?

From that I had in mind that a public holiday was on the cards, as a pay agreement, and would we like it to be on the friday before the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after 21 March. I voted no presuming we would get it on another day, not related to religion.

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

even given the anti religion ethos of after hours. I had a feeling most would sell out on their principles if it meant they'd get an extra day off.

It would be feasible that a priest might vote no thinking it is unfair to inflict religious holidays on citizens who might not practise that particular religion. I would gladly take good friday off if there was no other day being offered, I would still think it ridiculous to base it around that particular character. If my workplace gave me the friday off before hilters death I would be glad of it -but again I might prefer a different time of year, I would not consider myself a sellout or nazi supporter, which you might conclude.

31-03-2010 03:33PM

rubadub wrote: »

Not sure what you mean there, are you saying none of your legally entitled 20 days come out of this? if so lucky you, I expect you are in the minority.

Most people I know are forced to take it off, are these people getting it in addition to the 20 days legal entitlement?

Yes we get our Christmas holidays and Good Friday in addition to our 20 days holidays. This year that meant we were off from the 23rd December until the 4th of Jan without touching our holiday entitlement. Where I work is a research institute which is part of a University so not a private firm. We do not get any of the "University" holidays other times of the year just during xmas.

One advantage (I think you mentioned it) is if we are forced to take time off them lots of people are off at the same time which is good.

dylano_k · 31-03-2010 03:55PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4tbZ7xnEjk

Should Good Friday be a Public Bank Holiday?

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