Editor’s Note: Ukraine has 11 official holidays in 2019. Three of them came very close to each other: International Workers’ Day on May 1, Victory Day on May 9, and the Monday after Orthodox Easter on April 29. We asked people in Kyiv whether the number of official holidays in Ukraine should be reduced.
Anton Kryvun
project manager in an IT company
“I think it is possible, because sometimes, there is an impression that the Ukrainians rest too much, although it would be better if they worked more. I think there are too many holidays. It would be better to merge them.”
Larysa Gavryliuk
retiree
“I think it should not be reduced. There is unemployment in the country. It is not like we have so much work and there is a need for endless work. We should work more, but for that, we need more enterprises and higher salaries. If there are more jobs, then the number of days off can be reduced.”
Yaroslav Bondarenko
student
“People need recharging, therefore, we need holidays. For instance, elderly people, who were born and grew up in the Soviet Union, are accustomed to the idea that May 1 is the Workers’ Day, and that you should rest on that day. It is not about working more, it is about people in power who should be stealing less. I think there is no need to cancel holidays.”
Svitlana Beletskaya
private entrepreneur
“No, it should not be reduced. For example, in Russia, on May holidays, people rest for a week, plan trips. It is like a small vacation. People should be happy. There are other holidays as well, but the arrival of spring is the most topical one. I think the reduction of holidays will not change the economic situation in the country. Nothing will alter in a couple of days.”
Liudmyla Babey
bank employee
“There are many holidays for a poor country like ours. I think the number of holidays should be reduced. In wealthier countries, there are fewer days off. We should look up to those who live better. If the number of holidays is reduced, we will work more. And we have people who are not capable of having a proper rest. I mean alcoholics. They abuse holidays.”
Ira Rudas
engineer
“I think the number of holidays should not be reduced, because I think while people are having a rest, they relax, they become less aggressive. Our external stimuli, like politics in the country, make people angry, and during such vacations people calm down a bit and become more positive. I am in favor of reducing working days. I do not agree with the opinion that if we reduce the number of days off, people will work more. The number of working days does not determine the efficiency of labor, but the efficiency of labor determines the economy of the country. In our country, the efficiency of labor is very low. It is clear (when you look at the) salary. People just work in vain. Why not reduce hours, but make work more efficient?”
Yevhen Mironov
manager at a bank
“I do not think there are many holidays in Ukraine. It is better to cut working hours instead of days off. In my opinion, an eight-hour working day is a very old norm. It was adopted when it was required to work more, when there were more enterprises. Now, it is not like that, that is why it is quite possible to shorten working hours. I think if hours were cut, it would not damage work. Now, economy is more digital, you do not have to stand at the machine. Everything is computerized, automated. Therefore, some tasks that used to require eight hours, can be done in six hours. It also depends on what kind of holidays they are, what their history is, how people would react, because if we are talking about March 8th or May 9th, they cannot be touched. There are also a number of disputable holidays that are accepted by one part of the society, and rejected by others.”
