Jakarta. The government's policy of granting additional days off to civil servants during major national holidays is unfair to private sector workers who do not receive the same privilege, according to a business chamber executive.

Private sector employees must use part of their annual leave to get extended holidays, said Hariyadi Sukamdani, a member of the advisory council of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

"To enjoy extended holidays, workers in the private sector have to compensate by reducing their annual paid leave," Hariyadi said in a recent interview.

"We in the private sector find this policy very unfair because civil servants can enjoy extra holidays without affecting their annual leave. I don’t consider this policy ideal," he added.

Hariyadi suggested that the policy for civil servants' extended holidays be reevaluated by the incoming government.

"The primary consideration for policy changes should be to boost productivity, which is fundamental," he said.

In May alone, the government has added two extra holidays following the national holidays: one for the Ascension of Jesus Christ on May 9 and another for Vesak Day on May 23.

Both extra holidays fall on Fridays, intended to support the national tourism industry by creating long weekends.

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