This leap year nonsense should be decolonised

Isn’t this leap year phenomenon not just the most unfair concept ever?

This year will be the seventh time in my life that I will be expected to work an extra day without any remuneration whatsoever.

That’s a whole week, including a weekend. Surely this borders on slavery and may even constitute a crime against humanity.

Now, now, before you snort and call me a commie, think about this for a second.

Those who start working at the age of 18 and retire at 65, will end up working a total of around 12 extra unpaid days in their lifetime – considering that every fourth year has a 29 February.

What I find totally flabbergasting is that not a single trade union has ever uttered a word about this blatant exploitation of workers by the capitalist timekeepers of the world.

Shocking.

I am of the opinion that the only way to rectify this matter is to declare every 29 February a public holiday. That’s only fair.

Why must we, the workers, sacrifice a day’s pay every four years? We are subsidising the bourgeoisie’s atrocious timekeeping by putting in an extra day’s hard labour to keep their clocks ticking.

Twelve days might not sound like much, but let’s look at the bigger picture: in a country with 10 million employed people, with an eight-hour work day, that equates to 80 million extra work hours that employers get free, gratis and mahala every leap year.

I smell a conspiracy. A Western, capitalist one.

And no, before you even go there, bringing my retirement forward by 12 days is not an alternative. I want to enjoy my 12 extra public holidays while I’m young and strong.

And by the way, who decided on 29 February?

Wouldn’t 32 December work better? Or what about a January 1A sandwiched between the first and the second? A recovery day, so to speak?

I don’t know about you, but I think this leap year thing needs to be decolonised.

Danie Toerien.

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