Members of the Gender Equality Platform and other groups of citizens and civil activists expressed their disagreement with the proposal to remove March 8 and May 1 from the list of nonworking days. To express their disagreement, the activists sent a letter to Prime Minister Pavel Filip and Minister of Health, Labor and Social Protection Stela Grigoras, IPN reports.
In a statement, the Gender Equality Platform says the invoked fact that the day of March 8 is celebrated only by the former Soviet republics and by none of the EU member states is a false argument as this is an international holiday that commemorates the women’s struggle for their rights and the work that should be done to ensure appropriate gender equality, including in Moldova.
“The Soviet past is a component part of the history of the Republic of Moldova, which cannot be ignored or eliminated overnight. The fact that March 8 was celebrated in the Soviet period and we continued to celebrate it after we obtained independence, while other states renounced the official part of this day does not annul its historical importance and significance. The adjustment to the EU standards does not mean renouncing of the own history and specific features that define us as a country and region, both from historical viewpoint and at present,” says the Platform’s statement.
The activists also say that May 1, which is the International Labor Day, cannot be a working days as this runs counter to the main principle concerning the existence of this day. The International Labor Day is celebrated all over the world as a nonworking day as the employees work throughout the year and struggled to obtain a nonworking day to celebrate. As March 8, May 1 is a day of historical importance that traditionally was a nonworking day.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection drafted a bill to amend the Labor Code, which provides that December 31 – January 2 will be the New Year holiday, while March 8 and May 1 will be excluded from the list of nonworking holidays.
