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Attention: Industrial, employment, business and economics correspondents

It would be a happy Monday if today were a Bank holiday

With 61 days to go until the next bank holiday and 56 days since the last one the TUC is calling on the government to make this autumn half-term Monday one of three new bank holidays. Most of the 20,000 thousand people who voted for a new Bank holiday in the TUC’s online poll think millions of people should have an extra day off today (Monday).

Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary, said:

'It’s a cold dark Monday but autumn doesn’t have to be such a slog. The country could comfortably cope with a day off today to break the 16-week bank holiday-free stretch.

'If this Monday were a bank holiday millions of hard working families would be able to spend a day with their children during half term without taking extra leave. Millions of employees could give our leisure and retail industries a boost or take a long weekend away and help our tourism sector. Others could simply be enjoying a well-earned extra lie in and a very happy Monday.'

The UK only has eight bank holidays. The government is rightly going to give these to all staff on top of annual leave, but the economy could easily cope with the three extra bank holidays needed to bring us up to the European average of 11. More than four in ten (41 per cent) of the 19,469 people who voted online in the WorkSMART.org.uk poll said that a Monday in late October would be their preferred date for a new bank holiday. Almost a third (32 per cent) opted for St George’s, St Andrew’s and St David’s Days, and just over one in ten (11 per cent) for New Year’s Eve.

Obviously some people have to work on Bank Holidays but the TUC wants the law to be strengthened to ensure that anyone doing so earns extra pay or paid time off in lieu. For information on bank holiday leave and pay rights employees can visit the TUC’s working life website: www.workSMART.org.uk

Bank holiday fact file

• At the moment, England, Scotland and Wales all have eight public holidays per year, whilst Northern Ireland has ten.

• Across the EU only the Netherlands gives its workers as few public holidays as the UK, but Dutch workers have more annual leave. The average across the 25 European states is 11.35 days, Slovakia with 18 has the most, closely followed by Cyprus on 14. Malta, Spain and Portugal grant their workers 14 days each year.

• Currently millions of workers have to work bank holidays, many with no extra pay or leave days. Others take the day off but with no holiday pay or as part of their minimum four weeks leave.

• Following pressure from the TUC in the 1970s, the 1974-79 Labour Government introduced two additional bank holidays: New Year’s Day (1974) and May Day (1978). Since then a number of ‘one-off’ public holidays have been created to celebrate special events like the 1981 Royal Wedding and the 2002 Golden Jubilee.

Granting of additional bank holidays would have no impact upon the economy:

• On a bank holiday, the activities of the millions of people not in work have a positive effect upon other areas of the economy, particularly retail and tourism. In 2001, when the UK was hit by the foot and mouth epidemic, representatives from the tourism and hospitality industry lobbied the government for a special bank holiday that autumn to stimulate trade.

• Between 1997 and 1999, UK productivity grew by 4.6 per cent, whilst the number of contracted hours worked fell by 0.7 per cent, showing that when extra days holiday are granted there is not a negative impact on output. The granting of additional public holidays merely gives back a small slice of the benefits of increased output to employees.

• Work-related stress costs the UK £4.4 billion a year, so it makes sense to give people working excessive hours a few extra days off. Extra bank holidays would have a positive impact on staff motivation, recruitment and retention.

Contacts:

Media enquiries : Ben Hurley T: 020 7467 1248; Pager: 07699 713182 ; E: bhurley@tuc.org.uk

Weekend media officer: Dan Ashley T: 020 7467 1372; M: 07880 504 846

Press release (800 words) issued 25 Oct 2004