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February 13, 2012
Epiphany reignites Sweden's public holiday debate
Published: 5 Jan 10 13:00 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24212/20100105/
Workers in Sweden have only had two days to return to life on the job following their Christmas vacations before gearing up for yet another paid holiday on Wednesday.
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“It’s a time to focus on the guiding star and the three men who out of curiosity followed the star to Jesus,” Martin Modeús of the Church of Sweden told the TT news agency.
But exactly which days are recognized in Sweden has been a controversial topic, especially since a 2005 decision to ditch the Monday after Whitsunday (Annandag Pingst) as a public holiday and replace it with National Day, which is celebrated on June 6th.
Whitsunday, also known as the Pentecost, celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday, marks the Holy Spirit's descent to the Apostles and other followers of Jesus.
Two years following the switch, the Almega employers’ organization proposed that all public holidays should be made religion-neutral.
According to Almega’s suggestion, each employer would instead define for itself which days would be considered paid public holidays.
Later that year, employees working within the Almega-member Swedish Federation of Consulting Engineers and Architects (Svensk teknik och design) signed a new collective wage agreement which allowed for exactly the sort of choice proposed by Almega.
“That means that employers and their employees can reach an agreement about which days will be considered a paid holiday,” Almega negotiator Gunnar Järsjö told TT.
But regardless of one’s reasons for celebrating Epiphany, Modéus from the Church of Sweden thinks the occasion should be recognized.
“If for no other reason than that Christmas can be filled with obligations, which makes Epiphany something of a break following the break,” he said.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
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In saying that I work in an industry that is expected to provide service to the pubic 365 days a year (366 on leap years). Being an Atheist, no religious holidays have any menaing to me, but the one thing I miss is having the opportunity to spend time off with my family when during these holidays, everyone is off at the same time.
Set dates for national holidays give families to have a chance to be together, regardless of their relgious background. Having negotiated holidays with your employer is nice, particularly for the employer who can make all the standard holidays working days so no bonus need to be paid to make you work, and make all the quiet days holidays and force you to take them (like.. strangely enough all holidays are suddenly on 23rd of each month) Also, if my employers choose to celebrate one set of days as holidays, my wife's employers choose another, and our childrens schools yet another... even with holidays, we will never get the chance to spend it as a family, which to me is the more important aspect of holiday days, not the relgious aspect.
People are becoming less devout in their religions, which is an issue, but too much is made about of the idea of multiculturalism. Its one of the reasons used to argue why businesses in the United States moved from saying 'Merry Christmas' to 'Happy Holidays', even though 90% of people here are either Christian or non-religious from a Christian background. Our countries aren't as multicultural as we imagine them to be, its a kind of conceit and a canard.
As for people who are less devout, or have become atheist like you have, I'd still guess you vaguely feel some connections to the cultural traditions of the community. I'm from a Jewish background and not devout or observant, my religious beliefs range between deism and agnosticism, but I still respect and appreciate Christian cultural traditions, and don't demand that Jewish traditions be given equal time just out of political correctness. All religion is in part a way of connecting us to our past and our history, and if nothing else, celebrating Christmas reminds us why we are who we are as a people today.
This year Swedes have lost many of the public holidays as they fell on weekends
But what about having the half day off the day before the holiday... now that is a liberty!
If it was some eseential service that I was employed in, where lives need to saved or law must be enforced, or the power must continue to flow I can understand, but many industries that open on holidays, Casino included is no more then making money. In saying that of course, for me it is my choice to work in this industry and I have come to accept working on holidays.
All I can say is that:
1. If you work in a company that compensates properly if you work on a holiday then Shame on you!
2. If you work in a company that doesn't pay extra when you work on a holidaythen your new year resolution should have been to get a new job at all costs or sue your boss.