Local businesses frustrated by frequent holidays in BVI
Ninth District Representative Vincent Wheatley said some businesses in the territory are complaining that the number of public holidays in the BVI have been causing financial strain as they have to pause their operations to recognise these important days.
There are more than 15 public holidays in the BVI. On these days, government offices are closed to the public and most businesses either close their doors or scale down operations.
Wheatley said this is a plausible cry from entrepreneurs who suffered great financial loss during the catastrophes which hit the BVI in the last few years.
“If you don’t have a business, it might not mean anything to you. If you have a small business, you might be scratching your head. If you have a bigger business, then you’d be really scratching your head because you’re paying a lot of money without getting any extra productivity or any extra income,” Wheatley said in the House of Assembly on November 24, just days before The 1949 Great March and Restoration Day holiday.
“A lot of businesses are really starting to get irritated. Things are very challenging right now and I think they’re seeing this as an extra burden,” Wheatley added. He suggested that the territory may need to consider a holiday system like the one used in the United States where workers don’t get paid when they don’t work on holidays.
“I think the number of holidays we have now is appearing to be a burden for some businesses. Having dealt with COVID, the hurricanes, the floods, COI (Commission of Inquiry), all of that stuff, it’s really affecting the businesses,” Wheatley explained.
Some of the BVI’s public holidays were inherited from the United Kingdom, others are centered around the Christian faith, and the rest commemorate historical events in the territory that are significant to Virgin Islanders.
Wheatley said this is a plausible cry from entrepreneurs who suffered great financial loss during the catastrophes which hit the BVI in the last few years.
“If you don’t have a business, it might not mean anything to you. If you have a small business, you might be scratching your head. If you have a bigger business, then you’d be really scratching your head because you’re paying a lot of money without getting any extra productivity or any extra income,” Wheatley said in the House of Assembly on November 24, just days before The 1949 Great March and Restoration Day holiday.
“A lot of businesses are really starting to get irritated. Things are very challenging right now and I think they’re seeing this as an extra burden,” Wheatley added. He suggested that the territory may need to consider a holiday system like the one used in the United States where workers don’t get paid when they don’t work on holidays.
“I think the number of holidays we have now is appearing to be a burden for some businesses. Having dealt with COVID, the hurricanes, the floods, COI (Commission of Inquiry), all of that stuff, it’s really affecting the businesses,” Wheatley explained.
Some of the BVI’s public holidays were inherited from the United Kingdom, others are centered around the Christian faith, and the rest commemorate historical events in the territory that are significant to Virgin Islanders.
