christmas diving

[DeltaWardog]

What about emergency services? Should nurses and doctors not be forced to work on Christmas because the emergency patients certainly will understand if they have to postpone treatment for a day? Let the police take the day off because all the criminals will also not be forced to work on Christmas, therefore there won't be any crime? Pray that all the infrastructure, like electricity, water, and communications, all run smoothly unattended throughout the day?

Make sure not to run any of the utilities (who run skeleton crews to make sure there are no problems) in your house (I'm going to have to assume you aren't in a hotel where staff have to work) or to watch any TV or listen to the radio (where people have to work to provide these broadcasts).

Comparing emergency services personnel and utility workers to dive op, retail, and restaurant staff is just ridiculous. One group needs to be available every day, and the others most assuredly do not. I can't believe you guys even made that argument.

Most of those people in retail/service don't get to "decide to work", they are told to work or lose their jobs. You guys are obviously OK with people being forced to work on holidays due to consumer demand. I wonder if you have ever been in the situation of having to spend a holiday away from your family because your employer wanted to sell more widgets. For many families there are only a few days a year that extended family can travel and get together, and by keeping people at work they are preventing that from happening. There's more to life than quarterly profits. Businesses who are open on Thanksgiving and Christmas to cater to consumer whim that can be met 360 other days of the year have lost their way and unnecessarily reduce the quality of life of their employees. Are they really going to go out of business by shutting down for 2 extra days a year? Nope. It's just greed.

I can understand (even if I don't agree) why some dive ops in Cozumel would decide to stay open, but I would hope they strictly use volunteers and are not forcing people to work like so many American companies are doing, more and more each year. It was not my intention to condemn anyone in Coz, just to raise the issue for discussion and make people think about it.

 

[mstevens]

Should nurses and doctors not be forced to work on Christmas because the emergency patients certainly will understand if they have to postpone treatment for a day?

No, they shouldn't. There are plenty of Jehovah's Witness, Jewish, Muslim, Zoroastrian, Druid, and other healthcare workers who don't celebrate Christmas in the first place. I have no problem working so my Jewish colleagues can take off for their high holy days.

 

[PRO-FOUND]

I have taken clients diving on Christmas Day for the last 14 years , these clients have come to dive because they want to escape from all the BS that Christmas has become. We have a great time every year.


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[Skittl1321]

Comparing emergency services personnel and utility workers to dive op, retail, and restaurant staff is just ridiculous. One group needs to be available every day, and the others most assuredly do not. I can't believe you guys even made that argument.

What about hospitality workers? Do you really think a hotel is an essential service? It's not. The people working in hotels are doing it to accommodate the vacationers. Many of whom are visiting family, but some who are just looking for somewhere warmer to go. Since these people get to go spend time in hotels (with or without family) the workers don't get to do the same.

In the states, football is not at all essential but thousands of people working in support services at stadiums, TV stations, parking lots etc. Most people say this is okay, where shopping is not, because football is a Thanksgiving/Christmas tradition.

As for utilities- we've had our utilities shut down for a day before, usually due to construction. We were given advanced warning, stocked up on water the day before, and life went on. They could easily decide that there would be no water or electricity on Christmas so those people didn't have to work. Instead, you've justified why they should have to for your convenience.


I guess I don't understand where anyone is being forced to work in the United States, or, in Cozumel. People chose their own jobs. I really can't believe there are people being forced to be divemasters. People deal with the schedules of the jobs they chose if it means feeding their families. If they don't want to work holidays, they should chose a job that doesn't require it. This might require an investment in training or education, but no one is forced into any job here. And yes, I have worked a number of holidays. I no longer have to.

 

[ggunn]

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas on Scubaboard. We have this argument every year about this time.