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.
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Tell Vincent and his rich sister islands friends to stfu! We only have 1 extra holiday. We have 15 now versus the usual 14! There are 3 or 4 months where there are no holidays at all! They do not have to close during our Public Holidays! They can use a skeleton staff and pay each employee holiday pay. Gtfoh!
Do you hear yourself? If the private businesses want to open, who is stopping them from being open. You had your airtime get off the media with foolish talk.
We only have 14 public holidays per year. It has been this way for years.
15 days. In an entire year. So what are you doing with the remaining days of the year? Quit complaining and be smart with your operations during the other 350 days to make sure that you’re not losing on these holidays.
How can you be a business owner and wanna be lazy?
Just stop.
There are far too many public holidays. Try getting anything done with a bank or an attorney. It’s a joke.
I do not understand what happens with some people, especially this former representative of the 9th district, he must speak about something else because it was you who ended the business of this country and everyone knows it, you will not return if there is shame to represent, apologize because you were the worst official
Does the BVI really have that much holidays compared to the US or other nations?
British british british!
everywhere here workers have to stand in line for hours to get anything done. maybe work on getting govt departments online so people can pay online and not have to waste so much time in lines. that goes the same for the banks..those lines are wasting a lot of peoples time.
Pay your damm staff and stop playing cheap.
Vincent you are CORRECT. Business gets less sales and a massive overtime bill for these public holidays. Labour code needs modernising.
Are these guys for real?? They are the ones who agreed for the holidays as the previous sitting government.
There is a lot of greedy people like you Vincent but you but you s were than all
when the business was started we had the same amount of holidays maybe more. THhe holidays were just switched around and name change.
I think that we get so distracted by what is not so important from what is.
Sorry that the RICH tourist places that stay open on holidays are moaning that they actually have to pay their staff close to what they are worth for 15 days of the year.
Its places that have to stay open like LDB, Saba, ONB. Smaller ones can close.
HOA needs to change the type of BVI holidays to:
1) Religious: Christmas & Easter Sunday where government and every business is closed all day & night.
2) Historical holidays: As many as possible and government and businesses stay open all day/night. Employees paid their regular salary NO overtime on these historical holidays.
3) Weekends: Sat&Sun all year. Businesses choose to stay open or close. In person government services are closed but online services are open.
BVI has more public holidays than most other countries. it is a bit of a joke.
Vincent is quite right. Small businesses are said to be the lifeblood of the economy. They relieve the government of having to perhaps double or even triple the Civil Servants and very likely cost taxpayers much, much more Taxpayers-Funded retirement payout.
It’s quite likely many of the commenters aren’t or havent run a business; which would of course afford them a clearer understanding about business operation (operation, profit and loss, especially Lost.
I started my worklife in the Tourism sector and later got into the Restaurant, Auto sales and insurance arena.
considering doing business in the BVIs, compared to other parts, it’s quite expensive and cumbersome doing business in the BVI; (import duties and taxes, long time and osts to import products and supplies, excessive time doing paperwork on imports and payments to paper-handelers clearing the imported goods etc.
The point Wheatley made is in reality payment to workers for non-productive time or costly operating time; especially small businesses that are not benefactors of the various Tax-benefits offored to big businesses in order to lure them into investing into the country. There’s no Concessions of note offered to small businesses; (some of them hardly earning a profit).
Ok, so let’s look at ways that businesses, particularly small business might be treated better than they might be experiencing. They pay towards employee retirement, (whether through retirement or through SS, NHI, sick leave, holiday pay vacation pay +++.
When a business is closed and non productive, the refrigerators are still running, electricity being consumed, rent still paid. Multiply those closed days and either closed or expensively operated times by the number of holidays and a clearer understanding might be gained of the pressure that business, small business operate under…and it just might become much clearer the difference between a business operator and employees, (many without understanding or interest in the business’s Vision, it’s need to grow and expand, about the business having to Compete for it’s survival with similar other businesses.
The restaurant and culinary businesses are in particular are subject several other costs; (meals, beverage, breakage of service utensils, some pilferage etc).
Case in point: Little Dix Bay here on VG, after operating for some 50 to 60 years, have been sold several times, (likely due to unprofitability). After those 50 or 60 years of operation today they I’m sure has become quite Costly with round-the-clock security service. They pay for daily transport of employees to and from work. Employees must park their vehicles at the company’s compound; something that was allowed for most of those several years of operation. Big stores such as the supermarkets are also paying big bucks to security companies to protect their properties and products. Is it any wonder that the cost of items at the supermarkets are rising higher? It’s because they are passing the costs on to it’s customers.
Hopefully some will agree with what is mentioned here wbut others will still maintain that most businesses are Profitable and are comfortably bearing the pressure under which they operate.
Let’s show small business some more love ???
Vincent you and I know you saying this because of your so-called friends who allegedly have you in their pockets.look at what you want to bring no pay if no work on holidays you wicket heartless man.you have people like c Y. S f .C E them wicket men refusing to pay their workers .sir you creating more corruption in the bvi .I am calling on the Governor of the bvi to take a step in this matter and save the bvi from another Irma the cry of the workers have gone up to God I know he will not let us down.think again vincent this will cause you your seat in the house.
When people started their businesses here they were well aware of the holidays in place and should have accounted for that in their business plans. If your business cannot manage holidays, maybe there’s something wrong with the business….
Why this was even posted. This is just stupid, years we’ve had these holidays why are you complaining now. Maybe business not good cause your prices to high. Pay your staff holiday pay and open on holidays, no one is stopping you from staying open.
Is this man still in government…strupess he just talking sh**.. you all want people work until they die..What is the essence of life just business and work.. dont you like to see children having a good time on the beach with their families once in a wild… damn… not everybody works and holiday or get paid.. Wheatley really need to think before he open his big fat dumb mouth…
Maybe small businesses need to take advantage of holidays and throw a sail or special because as a consumer it often puzzles me as to why certain businesses close on a holiday when it is an opportunity. Example US stores have sales and events for the 1 million holidays they have. Memorial sale, Columbus day sale, veterans day sale…BVI you can’t buy or go anywhere on a holiday because they choose to close. Create a hype and people will come.
Businesses are closed on weekends. They don’t complain, but the minute free pay has to go out to employees, all of them rooting in the mud !!!!
In other countries businesses boom during holidays since more people have free time to go out and spend time with family outside there home. I for one would love to go on a date with my wife during holidays. Unfortunately the BVI businesses are closed as well. It’s like a ghost town during holidays, except during festival XD
For a start the UK does not have a public holiday on the Queen’s birthday. This day off can be scrapped, now that she has passed away.
Of all the topics to discuss. There are countries in the world that has more than 20 holidays. There are other countries in the Caribbean with 12 to 18 holidays.
Why don’t you discuss increasing minimum wage or improving infrastructure in the BVI or a consumer protection act that actually protects the consumer or appropriate utilization of our tax money.
You need to try improving the living in the BVI and tackle the most important issues first.