There’s A New Plea To Bring More Bank Holidays Into The UK

Compared to our European counterparts, the UK is seriously lacking in bank holidays. In Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland and Cyprus workers receive 15 bank holidays a year, almost twice as many as us.

With the end of August bank holiday being the last one until Christmas, British workers will have to wait four months before enjoying another long weekend. In comparison, the EU on average enjoys 12 bank holidays a year.

According to Trades Union Congress General Secretary France O'Grady, this is a necessary adaptation to our modernising world. With new technologies changing the economy, she says, we should be enjoying the benefits of fewer hours spent at work and more time spent with friends and family - all this, and a suitable pay for everyone.

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Instead of a relaxation in the workload though, people in Britain are working harder and harder every year, she says. Millions commit to unpaid overtime and on top of this, are receiving much fewer public holidays in comparison to others across Europe.

She insists people should be given another public holiday before Christmas; as our lovely long summer evenings begin to fade, we all deserve something to look forward to.

More than this, after The New Economics Foundation announced that more paid holiday could improve the nation's stagnating rate of productivity, it seems ludicrous not to put these measures in place.

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According to the report, until 2008, labour productivity increased at a rate of 2% each year but since 2009, that increment has fallen to about 0.7%.

To our dismay however, one business department spokesman speaking on the matter said that whilst they do take into account people's requests for days off for particular cultural or religious reasons, there were no current plans to add any more bank holidays to our working calendar.

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We can, however, expect some changes.

With next year's May bank holiday now taking place on the 8th to ensure everyone is able to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day (the formal surrender of Nazi Germany and their allies) - we haven't totally lost hope for the addition of more holiday in the future.

Topics: Holiday

Nicole Cherruault

Nicole is a freelance writer at Tyla. After graduating from The University of Edinburgh she worked at Phoenix Magazine and British Vogue.

@NCherruault