The government opposed the long May weekend

The government has prepared a negative response to the initiative of the deputies of the New People faction to postpone four days from the end of the New Year holidays to May. The document with a negative review was also supported by the government commission on legislative activity on July 10, sources in the commission told Vedomosti.

The draft law, introduced in April, proposes to reduce non-working holidays during the New Year holidays by four days, fixing them in the period from January 1 to 3, and extending the May holidays by four days, fixing them in the period from May 1 to May 5 (amendments in article 112 of the Labor Code).

One of the authors of the changes, State Duma Vice Speaker Vladislav Davankov (New People) believes that “it’s better to go to the spring forest for barbecue on an extra weekend than to sit at home with salads in the winter.” “If we promptly adopt this bill, then this year there will be no breaks – from April 29 to May 9. And next year and beyond, the January holidays will be from January 1 to 3 plus Christmas (January 7), and the May holidays without interruptions, from May 1 to 9, ”the deputy specified.

In Russia, there was already a precedent for establishing “long May” holidays, thanks to which citizens “felt the support of the state, their socio-psychological well-being improved, which allowed them to spend more time with family members on warm days in the country,” the explanatory note says.

The government in its response noted that non-working holidays are currently established “taking into account the interests of citizens of the Russian Federation, the opinions of trade unions, employers’ associations, public and religious organizations, authorities at various levels in accordance with the established national, historical and cultural tradition to use them as time recreation”.

The provisions proposed by the draft law “do not correspond to the goal of ensuring the rational use of weekends and non-working holidays by employees, and their implementation will not contribute to the effective organization of production processes, which may lead to an increase in the financial burden on employers who pay employees on these days in an increased amount”, says in the review.

In addition, the bill does not take into account that the established Art. 112 of the Labor Code, non-working holidays in January coincide with the New Year holidays for schoolchildren, when citizens “have the opportunity to spend time with their children in the family circle, strengthen family ties.”

At the same time, in May, schoolchildren finish the school year and are actively preparing either for the annual certification for transfer to the next class, or for the final exams, and therefore a long rest in this month may interfere with the educational process, the Cabinet concluded.