The Irish and British governments should standardise public holidays in the Republic and in the North, Sinn Féin said today.
As workers in the Republic take advantage of the June Bank Holiday today, Ms Michelle Gildernew argued it would make a lot more sense to harmonise Bank Holidays on both sides of the border.
The Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP said: "We have a situation where last Monday we had a Bank Holiday in the Six Counties and today we have one in the 26 Counties.
"It would be much more sensible if Bank Holidays were across the island. This makes business sense and common sense.
"The logic of the Good Friday Agreement, which has seen the establishment of all-Ireland institutions across a range of significant areas, dictates very clearly that this sort of situation needs to be addressed and harmonised."
This year the Republic and the North have already shared public holidays on New Year's Day, St Patrick's Day, Good Friday and Easter Monday and the May Bank Holiday (May 5th).
Workers on both sides of the border are also entitled to holidays this year on Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day.However if Ms Gildernew's plan were to come into operation, Northern Ireland would either have to scrap the annual Battle of the Boyne/Orangeman's Day Bank Holiday which falls on June 14th this year or the Republic would have to adopt it and ditch its October Bank Holiday.
Northern Ireland also has a summer Bank Holiday on August 25th, while the Republic's Bank Holiday is on August 4th.
The proposal was ridiculed today by the Democratic Unionist Party's Ian Paisley Jnr.
"If Michelle Gildernew is trying to get additional holidays, I think most people would frown on those efforts," he said.
"But I have to say, they would also be surprised to see her advocating that the Battle of the Boyne be celebrated in the Republic."
PA