Protracted Aïd El Fitr holidays incur Algeria economy 1 billion dollar loss

The Algerian economy has sustained more than 1 billion dollar of losses due to the untoward decision by most employees of the civil service and other sectors of activity to prolong the holidays granted by their respective employers to a week instead of two days legally prescribed on such occasions.

• By virtue of an official decree, only last Sunday and Monday were prescribed as paid holidays on the occasion of the Aid El Fitr festival marking the end of the holy month of fasting of Ramadhan but things surprisingly turned otherwise as most employees decided on their own counsel to extend their rest span by five more days thus dealing a scathing blow to the national economy.
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• Several economic experts told Echorouk to this effect that over 1 billion dollar ( the equivalent of 8.000 billion centimes in dinars ) had been irretrievably lost by the Algerian economy as a whole due to this protracted work stoppage which is considered as illegal by virtue of the national labour legislation.
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• They further indicated that about fifty per cent of the national economic apparatus in manifold sectors of activity had been put at a standstill over the past few days on account of the illegal extension by the workers themselves of the Aid El First holiday period by shunning altogether their places of work preferring to spend the maximum time in reunions with friends and relatives or by the seaside.
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• As a remedial solution, these economic experts suggested that the relevant authorities should be more severe and rigorous in applying the labour legislation by brandishing the specter of stringent sanctions, if need be, in order to bring the defaulting workers to heel and ensure the smooth continuity of the daily work at all levels with a view to sparing the national economy further excruciating financial woes in the future.