Ghana is deliberating a groundbreaking amendment to the Public Holidays Act 2001, Act 601 in a move signalling a shift towards a more dynamic and productivity-oriented approach to public holidays.
The first bill, titled the Public Holidays (Amendment) Bill, 2023 (No.1), has been submitted to Parliament and is currently undergoing scrutiny.
The proposed amendments seek to address several aspects of public holiday observance to enhance efficiency and economic productivity:
The bill proposes the elimination of the President's authority to declare additional public holidays.
This move is aimed at streamlining the process and ensuring that public holidays are designated based on broader considerations.
The President would be granted the power to merge public holidays, offering flexibility in the scheduling of holidays.
This provision aims to optimize productivity by strategically aligning holidays with working days.
Public holidays falling between Tuesday and Thursday would be observed on Fridays.
The intention is to extend weekends for workers, contributing to a more balanced work-life schedule.
The bill introduces the concept of substituting public holidays for days within the workweek.
This means that if a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Wednesday, it would be observed on a Friday, treating it as a substitute public holiday.
Criminal sanctions for non-observance of public holidays would be abolished.
This move aligns with a broader shift away from punitive measures and encourages voluntary compliance.
The proposed changes aim to redefine how Ghanaians approach public holidays, recognizing the potential for increased productivity when strategically placed within the workweek. By empowering the President to merge holidays and shift celebrations to Fridays, the amendments seek to create a more agile and efficient holiday structure.
The Public Holidays (Amendment) Bill, 2023 (No.1), is currently under review in Parliament.
If approved, these amendments could revolutionize Ghana's public holiday landscape, aligning it with modern principles of productivity and providing citizens with a more balanced and strategic approach to time off.
