Denmark: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and his centrist coalition have received harsh criticism for his proposal to end the spring public holiday from the opposition, labor groups, the nation's bishops and many rank-and-file members of his own parties.
The holiday known as Stor Bededag, or Great Prayer Day, which takes place on the fourth Friday after Easter, is something the three-party government wants to do away with.
According to his claims, the money saved would be used to increase defense spending; According to one official estimate, this would improve the structural public balance by about 3 billion kroner ($439 million) annually.
Also Read: Tsai Ing-wen: War with China 'not an option'
Currently, Denmark has a maximum of 11 public holidays for employees; This number is lower in years when Christmas and New Year's Day fall on a weekend. On Tuesday, a bill was introduced in Parliament to repeal the Store Beddag holiday.
Since taking office on 15 December, the coalition of Social Democrats, centre-right liberals and centre-moderates has committed to spend 2% of GDP on defense by 2030. This is partly a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The loss of the holiday, which had been established over 300 years earlier when a Danish bishop combined several minor holidays, caused a strong reaction throughout Denmark.
The country of approximately 6 million people is over 73% Lutheran, although less than 3% of the population regularly attend church.
With over 405,000 signatures, the trade unions, which have historically supported Frederiksen's Social Democrats, launched an online petition to "send a clear signal to the government: abandon the plan to scrap Store Beddag". has started.
Ten Danish Lutheran bishops have spoken of a "breach of trust", claiming they were not even informed of the decision before it was made.
Also Read: Over "respiratory illness," North Korea shuts down its capital
The right and left opposition of a centrist coalition came together to criticize the government in Denmark, where political consensus is the norm.
The Social People's Party, a left-leaning organization that was once affiliated with Frederiksen's Social Democrats, is shutting the rest of us out, according to its leader Pia Olsen Diehr.
Sren Pape Poulsen, leader of the centre-right Conservatives, declared that the abolition was "a mistake" and said that "preserving our culture, history and values and the deep roots of our society was important to them."
Some employers who support the government's plan are concerned that it will come to the fore in discussions with trade unions about pay and working conditions. In Denmark, the government has a history of avoiding these issues.
The unions argued that it was unfair for the government to impose public holidays or other days off without consulting all of us. He has proposed to hold a plebiscite on this subject.
Four MPs who represent the two semi-independent Danish territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands support the government, which has 89 of the 179 seats in the legislature.
Also Read: The UK will implement X-ray age checks to identify adult asylum seekers who are posing as children
The law enacting the amendment will be read for the first time on February 2. The date for the third and final reading has not yet been set. If approved, Store Bededag will not have a holiday from 2024.