2019年3月15日
上次說了政府shutdown(停擺)。關於政府停擺的新聞,常會提及furlough這個字:它的意思是強制的無薪假期。公司沒錢發薪,要僱員放無薪假期,就叫furlough。今年初美國政府局部停擺,數十萬政府員工便要被furlough。這個字可用作名詞,如:
一、To save money they will give the teachers a ten-day furlough.(為節省開支,他們會給教師10天無薪假期。)
二、Government employees on furlough still have to observe rules on outside employment.(政府僱員放無薪假時,仍須遵守有關到外面找工作的規定。)
Furlough也可以用作動詞:
三、The president had to serve fast food to his guests because the shutdown furloughed White House staff.(總統要用快餐待客,因為在停擺中白宮職員放了無薪假。)
四、Eight hundred thousand government employees were either furloughed by the shutdown or forced to work without pay.(在政府停擺中,有80萬名政府僱員不是放無薪假,就是被迫無酬工作。)
無薪假期比較常見的說法是no pay leave或unpaid leave;leave在這裏用作名詞,解作放假、休假,paid/unpaid leave就是帶薪/不帶薪的休假;annual/sick/casual leave是年假/病假/事假;maternity/paternity leave是產假/侍產假;study leave是脫產進修,sabbatical leave是大學教師的有薪假期,可長達一年,讓教師擺脫大學事務自行進修或研究。
五、You are entitled to six months' annual leave.(你可以放6個月的年假。)
六、Mr Cheung will be acting head while Mrs Lam is on leave.(林太休假時,張先生署任首長。)
批准放假可以叫做leave of absence;這裏的leave是批准的意思;未經批准擅離職守,叫absent without leave(AWOL),可招致嚴重紀律處分。以下兩句裏的leave與假期無關:
七、He was granted leave to appeal against the decision.(他獲批准對裁決上訴。)
八、By your leave, I'll see to the arrangements immediately.(如果得你批准,我便立即安排。)
短語by your leave,如果得你同意或批准。
上次說過,政府服務暫停可以叫suspension;這字也可以用來指暫時停職、停學或停賽。
九、After an internal investigation, the negligent officer was given a five-day suspension without pay.(經內部調查,失職的官員被處無薪停職5天。)
十、The two players are appealing against their suspension.(這兩名運動員正就對他們的停賽處分進行上訴。)
上面說的furlough,要員工停薪留職,可以是避免裁員的一種辦法:Furlough is a possible way to avoid layoffs. 因人手過多、工作不足而裁員,叫做layoff ;這名詞可用複數。
十一、The company announced the layoff of several hundred employees.(公司宣布裁減數百僱員。)
十二、More layoffs are expected at the factory later this year.(工廠在今年稍後還要有更多裁員。)
因傷或因病等停工,也叫layoff。
十三、He recovered after a lengthy injury layoff.(他受傷休養了很長時間才康復。)
解僱或開除,不論什麼原因,都可叫dismissal;免職則叫removal。
十四、The dismissals followed the resignation of the chairman.(主席辭職後,一批人員被解僱。)
十五、The protests led to the removal of the president.(抗議行動導致總統下台。)
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