Merchant’s Holiday totally unnecessary – Achille Joseph

Joseph

Executive Director of the Dominica Employers Federation (DEF) has slammed the observance of a Merchant’s Holiday in Dominica calling it ‘totally unnecessary.’

In an interview with Dominica News Online Joseph said the holiday has its roots in the old British system and is completely obsolete in the modern age.

According to Joseph the idea of a merchants holiday began back when merchants ran a fiscal year from January 1 to December 31. “That were the days before computers and computing,” he explained. “So the merchant would close his business to the public on January 2 to count stock.

Joseph said with emergence of computers closing doors for taking stock is no longer necessary. “Today with the touch of a computer button any merchant can know his stock,” he said. “Merchants do not need to close to count his stock.”

He also said today merchants don’t need a special day to count stock as the fiscal year varies from merchant to merchant. “So even if he needs to count stock, his  financial year might be July 1 to June 3….these days financial years end and begin at any time.”

He also made it clear that holiday, if observed, is not for workers. “While the merchant was closed to the public, workers worked by counting stock so it really was never a holiday for the worker,” the DEF boss stated.

“It is totally unnecessary,” he noted.

Going forward Joseph said the private sector will simply ignore the whole idea of Merchant’s Holiday because Dominica cannot afford another day off. “Dominica’s productivity is rock bottom, our competitiveness is not there and we want more holidays? That cannot be good for the country. As far as the private sector is concerned there is no such thing as a Merchant’s Holiday,” he remarked.

He said soon Merchant’s Holiday will become a normal working day in Dominica. “There will be more businesses opening next year and more the following year,” he noted. “Merchant’s Holiday is going to become a normal day of work in Dominica because we just cannot ask for more days off.”

Copyright 2012 Dominica News Online, DURAVISION INC. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

Disclaimer: The comments posted do not necessarily reflect the views of DominicaNewsOnline.com and its parent company or any individual staff member. All comments are posted subject to approval by DominicaNewsOnline.com. We never censor based on political or ideological points of view, but we do try to maintain a sensible balance between free speech and responsible moderating.

We will delete comments that:

  • contain any material which violates or infringes the rights of any person, are defamatory or harassing or are purely ad hominem attacks
  • a reasonable person would consider abusive or profane
  • contain material which violates or encourages others to violate any applicable law
  • promote prejudice or prejudicial hatred of any kind
  • refer to people arrested or charged with a crime as though they had been found guilty
  • contain links to "chain letters", pornographic or obscene movies or graphic images
  • are off-topic and/or excessively long

See our full comment/user policy/agreement.

112 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    January 7, 2013

    Grateful, how rich do you think the private sector is here? Dont confuse the average businessperson in DA with the Astaphans and Nassiefs you know. The average business here, by all accounts, is struggling to stay alive and quite frankly the private sector has shown incredible charity considering how few lay offs there are here. In the real world half the work force would be laid off right now like what LIME does every year, as they are part of a global system. They dont care. But you do not see this level of layoffs at all among the indigenous businesses. If anything there may be a hire freeze which is why employees will find their responsibilities have increased but better that than none at all because we have been laid off.

    The business profile has changed signifcantly over the past decades and its children of farmers and housekeepers who today control a signifcant percentage of the business sector so when you attack the private sector let me assure you that it is not Nassief and Astaphan you hurt it’s our own. Nassief and Astaphan done make all their money which did take them generations to accumulate meanwhle we were encouraged to study medicine, law, accounting, go into the civil service or migrate. So we cant be hating on the Nassiefs that meanwhile they were investing in the commercial sector. Now we have started to enter this arena but fact is, they have amassed their money which will cushion them. Our own has no cushion yet as in micro economies like ours that takes generations just like it did for the Nassifs but the good news is we have started the journey.

    Focus your anger at the right people and thats our policitians who have amassed in 5 years what took the rich to make in at least one generation. Focus on all the stupid assinine decisions they consistently make that block growth and butcher the economics of the country preventing businesses from growing and being able to pay better salaries and hire more people.

    Secretly too many of us like to see the possibility of quick wealth through politics and cronism. Secretly too many of us like it when private sector seems to failing and support measures that lead to such failure. But, so far only the already rich are getting richer and the politcians and their cronies which total how many people? 2 dozen maybe? and it’s not me and its not most of you 8-O

    Private sector is not just hotel and car and soap and department store. Its anybody providing a service and/or product and owes the bank and has to pay wages. And by the way, one of our own is now in soap proudction, Coal Pot, for example.

    No country suceeds without private sector and a first class well oiled small business engine. I will not be side tracked.

  2. Anonymous
    January 6, 2013

    Good thing I dont have a job where I have to lick bottom and Say what them bigger boys tell me! Same thing they said about Sundays some time back. But pass in town and see how many ppl that there on Sundays. Even If shops stay open, it would not be profitable for the merchants. Our population not big enough to sustain that. The overhead of paying employees, Using electricity and other resources to stay open. would it honestly be profitable to stay open one extra day. you all must stop acting like one set that Have higher education and stop trying to exploit Dominicans. But again Dominicans have a culture of listening to anything ppl tell them, as long as its a man in a long shirt and tie of if he have light colored skin. One day you all will see the bigger picture and work together for the benefit of all not just a few.

  3. Me Day BAR
    January 4, 2013

    I agree 100% with you mr. Joseph. Dominica has too many holidays to make jan. 02 which fell on a Thursday another holiday. Unless we change our attitude and become more productive we will sink.
    Why should a small country like DA have so many holidays? Can you believe that some business places and restaurants like Guyave in Roseau were closed on Christmas Eve? So in essence Dominica was closed down from Dec. 24 2012 to Jan. 4 2013. You understand why we cannot compete with other countries. On top of that some leading business places in Possie are still not opened and will be closed unti Saturday 05 for stock taking! Pure nonesence. These buisness owners need to take trips to the Us to see how things are done. They don’t have anywhere close to what Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, seers have, and yet, these places are never closed for stock taking. Imagine yourself living abroad and have 3 weeks of vacation due and you choose to visit your family in Dominica. Only to find out that your mother’s house needs a roof but because DA is shut down you cannot do it for her. Too many holidays folks!

    • Ovaltine
      January 5, 2013

      Are you saying that the amount of Holidays a country has should depend on the size of the country? Look it.

      The last company you should use in your comparison of businesses should be Walmart. Poor business practice. Blood suckers, just what they are.

  4. God Precious
    January 4, 2013

    I doe see y Dominica had to become independent for in the first place, if we had stayed under British we woulda have so much more opportunities in that Dominica dere, now its a frustrating country n stressing everybody out except the ppl that living large in gov’t. N ppl we have to know what we saying about our country how can he say WE HITTING ROCK BOTTOM. OMG words r powerful.

  5. Shameless
    January 4, 2013

    With people like Mr. Jo one has to wonder if Massa day is really done! Ebeh our bottom well burst in Dca with dem man there. But if they try taking our little holiday from us Roseau will be shut downed. Mister an dem too wicked garson.

    Assertive, NOT Agressive!

  6. Red Gyal
    January 4, 2013

    Poor Joseph! And why don’t we remove the Queen face from the EC Dollar and put Skerritt face instead, since we are no longer under The British.

    • God Precious
      January 4, 2013

      i agree with u they shoulda dam well take out de queen face n put skerritt face for true

    • Malgraysa
      January 5, 2013

      Ha, ha, ha, …that is a good one. Yout think our dollar have more value with Skerrit’s head than the queen? I’m sure he himself would prefer to be paid in U.S.$., Brisiths Pounds or Euros rather than in E.C. $. with his picture on it.

  7. Anonymous
    January 4, 2013

    But why, why the aggravation. Welcome to the next level. Coming soon in Dominica….xmas day yes we are open, good friday yes we are open, easter monday oh yes we are opened. The Christ in the word Dominica (Domingo) the day of our Lord is slowly diminishing ……..all at the next level.

  8. Anonymous
    January 4, 2013

    Met Yo, Achille is being myopic? Not you? Achille sees the rude awakening coming and is trying to get Dominicans with the program. You people want white elphants to feel 1st world but you dont want the systems that must be in place to support such infrastrcture. Most infantile but those who listen will weather the Tsunami that’s coming while the rest of you ranting about poor people will drown.

    • ReeAreLeeTea
      January 5, 2013

      This is typical thinking of people who want to be like other people because they consider others to be better than themselves.
      We don’t need to change and become like others to be more profitable. Foreigners don’t come to Dominica so that they can feel like they’re back at home. They want to experience something different. They want an exotic culture. They want a different lifestyle.
      Secondly, businesses don’t suffer when you have high employee moral. Wages in the country are the lowest in the Caribbean. Dominican people already feel like workhorses and you think the best thing to do is to prove it to them?
      You want to talk about becoming first world? You must read on how these so called first world countries exploited the immigrants that came to their countries and even their peoples themselves to get to where they are today.
      I think Dominica has a beautiful culture that is simply being underutilized because the so called educated people seem to lack imagination and vision. 8)

      • Anonymous
        January 5, 2013

        Then thats fine remain exotic as you cant get more exotic than a small state house as we had in the past and a small airport like what we have now. You cant have it both ways.

        If you build a house worth $100 000 and you build one worth $50 million dollars who do you think gets to stay home?

        So it’s not a matter of lacking imagination as you seemed so intent on saying so I hope you feel better. It’s plain economics, finance and of course common sense 8)

  9. Anonymous
    January 4, 2013

    Mr. Joseph, you speak the truth!

  10. Proud Domnije
    January 4, 2013

    Mr Joseph would like to see all holidays including Sundays (Majority of Dominicans’ Sabbath) banned except his which starts on Friday at sunset. As he and a few merchants has indicated it must happen for the miserly little tourists that come in on an off on a Sunday and dont buy! while at the same time they dont want to give their employers the tme and the half…guess wat Sunday worshipers, u all have a case its your Sabbath, and under the Laws of Dominica u cant be forced to work on that day just like Mr Joseph!

    However we as workers together with our Unions (if they had any balls) would have stopped this nonsense from since it started…bc a precedent has been set for more than 50 yrs – Jan 2 of every year has been a Merchant Holiday which enabled merchants to take physical stock of inventory, even in this technological era Mr Joseph! Now if that has changed bc Mr Joseph says so (again because the Unions dont have the balls to stand up for their workers) then they should be paid double pay!

    We as a ppl should start fighting for wat we believe in…if we dont soon, we will be in supermarkets and stores on a Sunday instead of worshiping the Creator, we will have gay marriages,our churches will be empty, Christmas will soon be Holidays bc we want to be politically correct, bc we know have a Muslim population, we wont be able to pray in schools, bc the atheist will tell us that they dont believe in God, esp since we started accepting everyone in our Catholic schools, etc…and when something happens we will ask God WHY…

    • Yep
      January 4, 2013

      I agree, and even if we don’t need the day for stocktaking, we all need a little break every now and again…if he wants no holidays, he can employ robots. :lol:

      besides, if someone wanted to demand that I work on Sunday, I would rather quit the job. “After GOD, the earth”

    • who knows?
      January 4, 2013

      Why are we so hypocrite? The majority of us claim to be Christians yet we only enter the church at Christmas, easter and for funerals. One day Christians! Our churches are not well-attended on a regular. We do not legalize gay marriage, yet a large proportion of our men and women are in same-sex relationships, some bisexual.I attended a Catholic school and I can tell u that the regulatiosn in place are that if a student is not Catholic then he/she cannot be forced to artake in prayer sessions. Sunday ought to be a day of rest, fasting, prayer and family togetherness, right? I’m sure you spend at least half your Sunday in the kitchen preparing meals. Isn’t that considered working too? Hmmmm, bite me!

    • who knows?
      January 4, 2013

      It’s all about what’s in your heart. We should have the right to choose if we want to work or not on Sundays, Merchant’s Holiday etc.

  11. Agatha
    January 4, 2013

    Stock Taking as the reason for the mechant’s holiday is FLAGRANT UNTRUTH. (Why do big men find it so easy to LIE? For Profits, I suppose!!!)

    Mercant’s Holiday goes nack long before Statehood days to give staff of Merchants a day to prepare themselves for the extra hours per week that they work while being paid less than those who only work 5×8 hour days.

    There are some Dominicans who are still alive who will remember going to a store any day in the year only to find the sign up “Closed for Stocktaking”. So for Mr. Joseph to base his mean idea on stock taking is totally brass.

    You want the country to move along and you think taking this day away from your underpaid workers is the way. Fine! You are grabbing more service from us, then we want more pay. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. If Government cannot represent us in that then we will represent ourselves.

    Wa happn? U born to rule an we born as fool? Look trouble in de town!

  12. ;
    January 4, 2013

    yeah right..that is all u worth..just shut up and let me enjoy my holiday eh..i can’t get time for shopping with my children so let me enjoy my time with them and shut..give us a break..what difference does it make anyway..if u were not part od DEF surely surely you would dismiss this statment put yourself in my place only for a day as an ordinary worker and not part of DEF. smdh

  13. Time will tell
    January 4, 2013

    No Dominicans that do that my boy, not one of you children good.

  14. As if....
    January 4, 2013

    I think that merchants holiday should be deleted, it makes no sense to have some of the city open. What should be done is to make ash Wednesday into a holiday, if the whole day is turned into a holiday, there should be NO post carnival parties; that should strictly be a day of rest. If the whole day cannot be made into a holiday, at least people should work half day.

    • God Precious
      January 4, 2013

      so wat if it doe have ppl that believe in ash Wednesday hmmmm. Is not everybody that catholic in D/A eh, so y is after all u finish revel all u want day off bcuz all u tired well that

    • God Precious
      January 4, 2013

      it shouldnt be no day off go n revel like usual n put all u ass in work,all u doing it for yrs now so continue with it.

  15. January 4, 2013

    I agree with Mr Achille Dominica mentality is forget your troubles and dance. Merchant’s holiday is unecessary. Domincans have no idea what the meaning of work is. If the merchant decides to open for three days and they have four days to party they would be fine with it.Dominicans priority is PARTY.

  16. January 4, 2013

    Achille, if is one thing I can give you credit for is knowing how to draw attention to yourself; you seem to get some sort of a rush, or gratification from the over-the-wall outrageous way in which you think!

    Have you ever thought of writing down your thoughts on a bit of paper read and analyze your thoughts prior to making these ridiculous statements, and comments to DNO, and the public in general?

    Last year, you came up with this foolish notion that we should make Sunday a regular work day in our country, have you ever stop for a moment to think about it; and come to the realization that Dominica is perhaps the most under developed, unindustrialized country on the face of the earth?

    Realizing that would show you how silly and of no significant your thoughts are!

    Study the more developed, and heavily industrialized nations such as Great Britain, France Germany, Canada, America, Australia, Japan, and others; they all have a mandatory forty hour work week, anything after that; workers are paid ” overtime!”

    As a matter of fact, anytime a person work over eight ours in a day, that person is entitled to overtime pay. In California, some places if you work seven minutes after that eight hours the employer is obligated to pay you for at least fifteen minuets overtime, and that has to be calculated in time and a half pay.

    Labor is not free in the developed countries of the world.

    The world over people are contemplating a five day work week, Monday through Friday, though not yet mandatory, there are many companies in the industrial world which only operates five days per week: I would like to know who appoint you god over Dominicans, and influences these ideas into your mind to try and impose your will on the people?

    It is proven the less hours people work, it is the more productive they become!

    That is why in Japan, an industrialized nation; employers allows their workers to take a nap: that is allow them to sleep for an hour or so depending on the circumstance during their work day, because when one is rested it is proved they perform better, hence productivity increases.

    There is something known as controversy, I can tell you in my book you are the most controversial Dominican alive. It seems to me that you have single handedly declared war on labor in Dominica, and by that I do not mean the Dominica Labor Party, I am talking about the poor and working class Dominican.

    You mention something about Britain, I can tell you might be trying to take the place of the former colonial slave masters; I worry we may have a white slave master covered in a black skin!

    Merchant holiday has been around forever in the Caribbean, and long before you say daylight, that is the Merchants day of rest, and they made that day available to the people they employ; who are you to challenged their tradition?

    Achille, what goes around comes around, you believe you have some power, and that gives you the right to talk nonsense at random, but it is my experience when people like you attack the labor force, and labor in any country of the world, it is usually the beginning of the end of those people who attempts to trample on works right.

    Even if you are lord and master of you employment, without the support of the people you can be up on a pedestal today, however by tomorrow the people can cause you to fall off your pedestal.

    Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

    • canawi
      January 4, 2013

      @ Francisco Telemacque:
      ehbeh, Canawi ca di shodier bondai noir.U of all ppl telling others they love to draw attention to themselves. May I remind u Mr. Telemacque that if ur opinion is not heard on every single article on DNO, u VEX. Please Telemacque,don’t go there.U just as pompous an ass as u think Jposeph is. Always seem to know it all and always want to have the last say. U sicken my stomach!

  17. Anonymous
    January 3, 2013

    love of money root of all evil

    • God Precious
      January 4, 2013

      i like that true

  18. bigsexy
    January 3, 2013

    Productivity is rock bottom because you all employers pay hard working adults like kids on a summer attachment program. Your only interest is to keep poor people on their knees and your pockets laced.

    • Anonymous
      January 4, 2013

      You are so ridiculous and of course all the thumbs up must follow you. This nigger mentality you people have in Dominica is exactly why this island is the poorest and you still cant fill a LIAT plane after 50 years but meanwhile allu running to America the mecca of capitalism.

      Businesspeople must take the risk start business but give allu all the money? It’s to make profit and if the economy does not allow for profits and high salaries whose fault is that?

      Poor people on their knees meanwhile they give skerrit 18 seats as they watch him and his cabal build their private mansions and drive their $200 000 brand new SUVs meanwhile allu still living in wooden huts no jobs and cant pay your light bill?

      Nigger mentality. That is Dominica’s character to the bone. Enjoy your State Palace which many of you supported while poor people on “their knees.” But its businesspeople you blaming and not your government with their private mansions and custom-made suits?

      Nigger mentality to the bone.

      • Grateful
        January 4, 2013

        But isn’t it a fact that employees salaries in many cases are less than desireable while they are forced to do 2, 3 and 4 people’s jobs?

  19. ????????????????????
    January 3, 2013

    Yes Mr Achille Joseph even one has the computer, the actual physical count has to be done to verify the computer figures. The computer figures may be saying one thing and the actual physical count is less or more. Verification is needed that is why there is stock taking. We should think before we speak. How can one know if there is a discrepancy if you do not verify what is said on the computer and the actual? Computer entries can be wrongly entered and also there can be pliferage so how can one verify that the 2 agrees?

  20. MIA
    January 3, 2013

    Take on these kind of fellers, people would work like ‘boowik'(donkey) Sunday to Sunday with no time for their families, house work or a social life. All these fellers seeing is money money money. They don’t care about people.

  21. Grateful
    January 3, 2013

    Mr. Joseph needs to educate me bit; forgive my ignorance. I understand the case he has put forward in light of the origin of Merchants Holiday. What I don’t understand is how does one holiday less increase our productivity. We can work 365 days a year (that appears to be what he wants) is this guaranteed to make us more productive?

  22. riddim up
    January 3, 2013

    what for you to talk bout is the number of workers being exploited during the year working for minimum wage…..dat for you to address….
    so if those minimum paid workers getting a lil free up leave dem be boy…..

    who u think benefiting from the holiday, the cashier that worked long hours xmas, and makes next to nothing….
    good ting not all business owners like you boy….

    u want man to work sunday, but u taking your sabbath from friday night…..

  23. Red-Antz
    January 3, 2013

    Amen to that……

  24. what more?
    January 3, 2013

    What more can I add to support your statement? I believe that it is totally unnecessary. When we look at factors such as lost productivity, loss of earnings poor work ethics etc. we need to reconsider observing Merchant’s Holiday. Seriously!!!

    • Grateful
      January 4, 2013

      “what more?” how will reconsidering Merchants Holiday increase productivity and help work ethics? Does a business place automatically register a profits because they are opened?
      The reasons Mr. Joseph is giving for doing away with the holiday does not make sense.

  25. Met Yo
    January 3, 2013

    Every Year same miopic silly argument from this dude….what is mister job really nuh? What does it entail??????

  26. ReeAreLeeTea
    January 3, 2013

    It’s interesting how when a bonus, or gift or anything extra no longer affects us how we all of a sudden see it as not necessary.

    Why don’t we use the holiday in a positive way and turn it into something that will attract positive attention instead of just another work day? I thought we were going to work harder on making Dominica more attractive to tourists? Instead we want to make it just another work day. Wow. If that’s the educated way of thinking then we’re done for.

  27. worker
    January 3, 2013

    So only on set that should get time to do shopping go to the bank and go doctor.So because our money small we have no advantages.Employers gives us no money for christmas no time for us to shop and even no time for our children. mister and the rest gets their time off when they need it so to hell wih everyone else.

  28. DOMINICA
    January 3, 2013

    I agree with you 100%

  29. Show me the money
    January 3, 2013

    Who feel like opening their store can open no one stop them. Any body can open their place from sun up to sun down any day they want holiday none holiday from Sunday to Sunday Just that it will be double time and they will not want to pay it

  30. January 3, 2013

    boy my friend got balls which party u going up for so i can vote for u?

  31. me
    January 3, 2013

    just imagine school is out for one month for christmas/new years, bout a week for carnival, a week for easter, then whit monday, then summer holidays, then independence….did i miss out any. too much idle time here

    • lils
      January 4, 2013

      What does school being out have to do with this? Are you saying that when school is out no-one works?

      • love
        January 4, 2013

        too much idle time in all sectors

  32. jazz53
    January 3, 2013

    I have first hand information on inventory control, and I can tell you computer will not tell you what is stolen .Therefor you need hands on checking. Now weather this warranted a holiday???.Most companies hires private firms for that purpose, or an electronic device.computer can only tell you what should be there,but not what is there.

  33. Fil
    January 3, 2013

    Since I was a little girl I know January 2nd is merchant why all of a sudden is a problem. I don’t know when people can’t leave let alone. I wonder if is attention some people seeking.

  34. UDOHREADYET
    January 3, 2013

    First of all ‘Merchants Holiday’ is on my birthday January 2nd! Second taking away a holiday from people the following day after New Year’s is not going to improve your productivity one bit! The only unnecessary thing is you and those who believe in taking and not giving. Holidays are there for a reason only a scrooge would want to take a holiday away. To make a point; Trinidad has more holidays than any other Caribbean Island yet they are more productive than DA… you figure it out. UDOHREADYET!

  35. January 3, 2013

    He also said, today merchants don’t need a special day to count stock as the fiscal year varies from merchant to merchant. “So even if he needs to count stock, his financial year might be July 1 to June 3….these days, financial years end and begin at any time.”–News article

    The above statement is a truth–I know because I worked, for more than 30 years in Canada, with a Business which serviced Merchants for the purpose of their stock and Inventory information.

    There are many businesses, like that which I work for, in Canada–the Merchants are their clients, with a contract to do their stock taking, among other inventory services, at certain times of the year. It is true that, that time of the year varies among the Merchants. Mr. Joseph is correct!

    Merchants with a large business call for their Inventory Service 3 to 4 times a year–just as Mr. Joseph explained—and they do not stop serving their customers for Inventory Service either—for we are in the stores with “uniforms and electronic calculators”—and so customers recognize us as a “special group”.

    But those who close their stores chose the day that is appropriate for them, and only for the length of time that we would be there doing the Inventory.

    With those small stores in Dominica 4 to 5 experienced stock takers can do the job of stock taking in less than 4 hours–if that crew starts at 7am in the morning the store should be ready to be opened by 11am

    On January 2 people are back to work as usual, in Canada—this is not a day for fund and games; those who like fun and games go back to that, from Friday to Sunday night.

    • Teacher
      January 4, 2013

      Madame, your essays are too lengthy. Marks will be deducted next time.

      • Grateful
        January 4, 2013

        Teacher deduct marks also for spelling and appropriateness of information to the subject :-D

      • God Precious
        January 4, 2013

        i like that for really deducte some marks. cuz we doe ask for that long story.

    • Anonymous
      January 4, 2013

      First world versus sixth world.

      Check the attitude on this article to what Joseph has said. Predictable.

      Bringing Dominica from 6th world to 3rd world (as we can forget 1st world for at least another 5000 years) starts with the mentality of the people. The character of the people. The work ethic of the people. The common sense of the people.

      You cant hate on private sector but expect real development because how do you expect to pay for the international airport, for example,that most of you want so badly if private sector is not thriving and at full out throttle? Oh wait! You think China will pay for it and pay for the day to day operations and for all maintenance or, if not China, some other country/donor so who cares about the big bad private sector. Right! Got you!

      Welfare and hand outs – The Dominica way!

    • January 4, 2013

      Liz, you mean to tell me you succeed in getting twelve thumbs down, to zero up?

      Boy, that is what happens when people pick the wrong side, and the wrong topic to support. I know you knows about inventory,and all that after you involvement in that for so long.

      However, pertaining to your support for Achille, it is likely you will get in all sorts of trouble for taking sides with him.

      And so, even if you and I have fought many times over, you will have to shoot me this time (again with an insult), because I am going you a thumbs down on this one. so when you see number thirteen thumbs down, know that it is mine!

      Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

      • canawi
        January 4, 2013

        @ Francisco Telamcque:
        what school did u really go to? College of Consistent Losers? It’s not about taking sides. The lady has expressed her personal convictiosn in the same way that u and I have. And who gives a rat’s ass whether u give her a thumbs down? Grow the f!@$ up!

  36. dissident
    January 3, 2013

    Merchants Holiday is not the reason for our country’s production to be at rock bottom. Take back all u holiday one day won’t make a dent in our productivity or competitiveness. It will not help at all.

    If u trying to address productivity tell us now how many job openings will there be for Dominicans when the proposed construction of the new Hospital gets underway. How many spaces will there be for our tradesmen to express there skill?

    U sitting there at de Employers Federation. Tell us what are the plans that the government has. How many Dominicans are they looking to employ?

    • Across the miles
      January 4, 2013

      TRUE SAY!!!!!!

  37. Archille
    January 3, 2013

    That man does get me vex you know. He have a problem with everything, first it was the barrels the poor people getting from overseas now is holidays. The merchants and their staff deserve the holiday because they work 6 days a week unlike Mr Joseph who have the luxury of not working on a saturday. Sakway Toneh leave dem merchants holiday alone.

    • January 4, 2013

      Something is wrong with that guy you see, to me he is power hungry than anything else, he battles against himself to gain recognition; I only hope he is not from any place close to Wesley, his phenotype compares to some people in Wesley.

      I need to ask some questions about him, so I will call home tomorrow and see what I can find out about him.

      He is a self-centered individual who believes he has all the answers to everything, people usually get that way when they are on a path to self destruct, if one is against a barrel of food that people sends home to their unfortunate families; that tells me he is also a very jealous and envious individual.

      One time I went home to Dominica, and took about six bottles of Whiskey with me, and I am not saying what brand, because I do not wish to advertise for any brand, however at Melville Hall they told me I cannot take more than four bottles with me,I do quite remember how much they said I could take home.

      They taught I would just walk away and leave the rest with them.

      You know what this son of a gun kid did?

      Well, this boy Francisco made sure that I opened those they told me to leave behind, and I drank out of them all, and put the stopper back on left it with customs and walk away!

      Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

      The only way anyone of them could have taken it home is if they decided to drink my leavings, I doubt they would, because I doubt they knew me, and do not know where my mouth had been anyway.

      I am a bad and wicked man eh!

      Hahahahahahahahahah; gat them cold!

      Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

      • Ovaltine
        January 4, 2013

        Joseph is a Universal last name in Dominica. Check the yellow pages. I read your other post. You too think alike.

    • Across the miles
      January 4, 2013

      I AGREE

  38. james
    January 3, 2013

    Joseph, carnaval is an old slave ting and should be stop.boy boy boy.

    • lils
      January 4, 2013

      Ya, let him take up that argument next. Slavery abolished since 1833. Let’s hear him say that it’s time to stop celebrating. Lol

      • Jay
        January 5, 2013

        Lils, you are right we got full emancipation on 1 August, 1833 but carnival older than that. Ask yourself why we celebrate it, like Trinidad, Brasil and other catholic countries in Feb.,at the beginning of Lent and some forty days before Easter, rather than in August? Brasil did not get emancipation till 13 May 1888, the last western country to do so but carnival was already there, introduced by its Portuguese colonisers and goes back to at least 1641.Did you know it is also celebrated in Italy and the German Rhineland at the same time we celebrate ours and in a similar manner? These people have nothing to do with the abolition of our slavery. Today carnival, as celebrated in the Caribbean and Brasil, has a strong African influence but it was not invented by us to celebrate the abolition of slavery. Dont’ know who gave birth to that story but it is a myth.

    • Jay
      January 4, 2013

      Carnival has nothing to do with slavery. Go and ask the people of Venice for exasmple, they had carnival long before us and in Brasil too they had carnival long time before they abolish slavery.

  39. Ovaltine
    January 3, 2013

    His statements are not factual. I have never worked in Dominica so I cannot say what goes on behind closed doors in stores in Dominica on Merchant’s day. However, to say that taking stock is a matter of pressing the button on a computer is utter nonsense.

    Big stores like Macy’s etc. take on additional staff to work during the holidays. At the end of the season those workers work long hours into the nights after the stores are closed to take stock.

    How many times one goes to a store and ask for an item…according to the computer there are multiple items in different stores but these items cannot be found. The computer is not a reliable source for stock taking. This is a manual job.

    In bigger countries it is not a holiday because this is done at night when the store is closed. I am speaking from experience on that one. Apparently the Executive Director has never owned a business and never worked behind the scenes of a business so he does not know what what taking entails.

  40. Morihei Ueshiba
    January 3, 2013

    Joseph why don’t u ask for no Income Tax, or the elimination of the VAT or the abolishment of property taxes, the problem is not working everyday but a low standard of living forcing people to turn to a life of crime, stop working for the massa and work for the people! :mrgreen:

  41. January 3, 2013

    Yeah, but a computer can only compute the book stock,it cannot go around and physically count the product(s) that are on the shelves or warehouses. And according to logic, its the physical stock that really counts…

  42. Peace
    January 3, 2013

    If Merchant’s Holiday is not a holiday according to the statutes of Dominica, so be it. If it is and workers agree to work according to the Law they should be paid double time.
    No problem, the law makes provision for most workers issues. If it does not workers and their employers should meet and discuss.

  43. grell
    January 3, 2013

    merchant holiday get out of the british system also dont care much about ash wednesday,after carnival it is so dead,stopped doing the carnival.

    • God Precious
      January 4, 2013

      agreed

  44. In His HANDS
    January 3, 2013

    I totally agree!

    • Zenfan Zombie
      January 3, 2013

      I am in total agreement with Mr Joseph on that one.We have far too many holidays in this country.How many holidays do we have?1.Merchants’holiday.2.Monday&Tuesday(Carnival)3.Good friday 4.Easter monday.5.Penticost monday.6.August monday.7.November 3&4.8.Christmas day.9.Boxing day.10.New years day. Wow. There are just too many holidays.

      • KIM
        January 4, 2013

        merchant holiday is not an established holiday. Please get your facts straight, if it were all banks and government offices would have been closed.

      • stuppes
        January 4, 2013

        Too many holidays? Whatever? How many countries have more holidays than Dominica and that hasn’t kept them behind.

        How many holidays are there on the US calendar (Federal and State)?

        Is not holiday that results in lack of productivity – its frustration with working for a salary that cannot even cover all your needs!!!

      • Grateful
        January 4, 2013

        There are 365 days in a year…you guys behave as if the country is shut down for 12 consecutive days.

      • God Precious
        January 4, 2013

        so do u think you make any sense seriously, plz we have 365 days in a year wats is 10days for holidays plz spare me the stories. theres so sad think you should really shut the HELL up.

  45. Malgraysa
    January 3, 2013

    I agree. Town was “dead” yesterday but those businesses. like Save-a-lot, that decided to open did brisk business. Things can not be all that bad if others can afford to close for the day.

  46. Tommy
    January 3, 2013

    But why is it that practically all business places in Roseau close the business for a day to take stock? So I really am confused when Mr. Joseph says that they do not need a day. Has he advised them? Please clarify.

  47. yes i
    January 3, 2013

    you start again. for one time in your life, give it a break nah. you always on a story about taking what little holiday we have and squashing it. you want sundays as working days. now merchant holiday. next thing you will ask for easter, christmas and even nov 3 to turn back to normal working days. yes i. for you mister, everyday would be a work day. you would have a whip on our backs just like in the old days. no rest for the wicked. yes ah!

    • Peeping Tom
      January 3, 2013

      :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

    • what more?
      January 3, 2013

      Working on Merchant’s holiday can never be compared to slavery. That is just an over exagerration on your part. You see, it is that poor work ethic, idle thinking that makes us lets us blow things out of proportion. Some Holidays such as Independence Day, Christmas and New Year’s Day have deep roots in Christianity and in hsitory and therefore should be preserved. However,what is the rationale behind Merchant’s Holiday? If we are good business people, then we would know that inventory/stock-taking should be done periodically and that we shouldn’t wait for Merchant’s Holiday to do that. If you are, I’m sorry to break it to you, but the harsh reality is that your business will fall under water pretty soon. If we are to observe other countries around the world, while I agree that many have more abundant resources than we do, they pride themselves on working hard; and that not only implies working a long shift but also working as much as possible. Rest is important yes, but too much of one thing is dangerous,; we rest too much and get ourselves lazy. Another issue which I would like to address here in as much as we are talking business, is that of credit. Under the British system we were taught to believe that credit is a bad thing (and young ladies I don’t mean going to Gloria’s or Tammy’s store to credit an outfit for the next sewo, I mean making a purchase using a flexible payment plan for something meaningful suh as education, setting up a small business)but when I sit back and examine other Caribbean economies such as Trinidad, Barbados etc. credit is good. It generates economic gain, and by that I mean currency flows, creates jobs, increases spending power and allows us to acquire much-needed/wanted things. As Dominicans, we need to do some more analytical thinking, too much of that superficial talk gets us nowhere.

      • Anonymous
        January 4, 2013

        Will you stop talking sense? Just stop! Your comments are so out there. So 2013 it’s just way too sophisticated for the average reader here.
        Talk about Triple K and State Palace and quote the bible.

      • what more?
        January 4, 2013

        @ Anonymous:
        Hahahha! I’m grateful for my Dominican education. They taught me well @ CHS. Now,I guess Dominicans need to start thinking out of the box; to move away from the same old nonsensical issues and engage in decent conversations that have substance. U agree?

  48. Love
    January 3, 2013

    Mr. Joseph if Merchant’s Holiday is on the books of Dominica as a holiday, it is a holiday for merchants and there staff.
    If it is not, there should be proper consultation between Labour Unions and the Employers to find a solution.
    Dictating that Merchants Holiday will become a normal working day is not left for one man to decide.
    It is not left for Kertiste Augustus as Representative of the Workers to make declarations on behalf of employers. His job is to represent workers not their Employers.
    CONSULTATION is the word Mr. Joseph.

    • Malgraysa
      January 3, 2013

      As it stands employers are not leggaly obliged to give their employees this day off with pay. If you want to see that changed, lobby your Parl. Rep. to have the appropriate law passed.

    • Peeping Tom
      January 3, 2013

      I do not believe that you read or understood what Mr. Joseph has said in this article.

  49. Anonymous
    January 3, 2013

    Best of luck trying to implement that -even if you do,you probably will have a lot of people taking a day off due to some sudden unexpected illness

    • budman
      January 4, 2013

      true but what does the labour code say about calling in sick the day after a holiday?

    • Anonymous
      January 4, 2013

      And fling out about 100 quotes from the bible to justify it.

  50. Anonymous
    January 3, 2013

    Oh please this has always been a day of rest for members of the retail sector after the long hours of the christmas season.

    • Anonymous
      January 4, 2013

      Yes which was preceded by 11 months of no work at all so lord have mercy you have 2 little weeks, although now more like 2 little days, of actual work. Yes that can be a shock to the system I suppose.

  51. FED UP
    January 3, 2013

    I love this man – finally someone who is forward thinking.

    • forkit
      January 3, 2013

      so you admit your thinking was backward, since he is the only man who is forward thinking

  52. Dominican
    January 3, 2013

    I agree, its bad enough these business places open too late and close to early they insist on taking a holiday in the name of “stock taking” and the next day you ask them for something and they either don’t know or have to ask someone else, what’s the point?

  53. hmm...............
    January 3, 2013

    I saw this coming.

  54. Lougaoo Mem
    January 3, 2013

    I totally agree! Maybe they can now change it to the Chinese Merchants’ Holiday which is more appropriate for our current situation. Remember that the business landscape in Roseau is no longer buy from locals. I deplore the curse that is now haunting our local merchants.

    • Anonymous
      January 4, 2013

      Well the chinese stores were open so thats where I spent my money. Not my fault if locals want to sleep off their excesses I have things to do poeple to see places to go and I spend where allows me to get my day done.

  55. BiGmE
    January 3, 2013

    you know its the business man who make it unnecessary. who wants to do both inventory and sales on the same day overworking workers. we no longer have respect for anything this day’s why don’t the business men take away all holidays that you get to spend with friends and family and make them all working day’s oh how they will be happy

  56. The Onlooker
    January 3, 2013

    I am in agreement with you sir.

  57. Suki
    January 3, 2013

    Agreed! doesn’t make sense…. ya’ll to lazy -_-

  58. DonK
    January 3, 2013

    Stock count has to be conducted to ensure that what appears to be on the computer system is what actually exists.

    Ask M and R and BJ. :wink:

    • Jay
      January 3, 2013

      if that is the case why not do this outside of normal business hours and pay the staff extra. It has always struck me as shortsighted to close a business for such purposed during normal business hours. Imagine somebody locking customers out for a staff meeting! Don’t our businesses want to to make money?

      • budman
        January 4, 2013

        because Jay the cost of overtime is greater than closing for the day.

    • Jay
      January 3, 2013

      Is that what the accountants refer to as “double entry”!?

  59. carrie
    January 3, 2013

    difficulty in understanding Achille Pinard and his too many holydays which seem to be linked to productivity.
    Productivity is linked to economic policies. Are the policies sound enough that will allow entrepreneurs to take risk and in the process creating employment. In an economy where there is demand for goods and services, productivity follows.

  60. budman
    January 3, 2013

    agreed

  61. Peacock
    January 3, 2013

    Agreed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  62. Cant't Find a Job
    January 3, 2013

    Watch out boy, dem blue fellas are gonna put blows on you for saying that

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

:) :-D :wink: :( 8-O :lol: :-| :cry: 8) :-? :-P :-x :?: :oops: :twisted: :mrgreen: more »

 characters available