People will get 11 days off for major holidays next year, the State Council said in a statement last week. But many people want longer and guaranteed paid leaves, especially because the new holiday calendar for 2014 falls short of their expectations, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

The holiday calendar has sparked disputes in recent years, because it does not meet employees' needs. According to statistics provided by the National Holiday Office, people with 10 years of service in 62 countries and regions are eligible for 19 days' paid leave on average. China offers just about 10 days.

But companies should not use just government or national holidays to meet employees' needs. People want companies to grant them more paid leaves.

Although the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued a regulation on employees' paid annual leave in 2008, many companies have been ignoring it and seriously violating people's right to get paid leave. More importantly, since no punishment or compensation has been imposed on employers violating the regulation, the current mechanism is not expected to work effectively.

The annual holiday calendar has become a hot topic of discussion among people across the country. National holidays are fine, but companies should have a set of rules to also grant extra paid leaves, especially because they make it easier to meet employees' varied needs.

(China Daily 12/17/2013 page9)