Jeremy Corbyn used St George’s Day yesterday to reiterate Labour’s manifesto commitment to create four new bank holidays, corresponding to the four patron saint days across the UK. The Labour leader argues that Britain has fewer public holidays – just eight – than almost all other EU countries. On this he is right: Finland leads the way with 15, and the average is just over 12. But what looks like a worker-supporting vote-winner is actually wonky policy that will benefit few. [...]
It’s important to realise how public holidays fit into annual leave rights more generally. At present almost all workers and employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid time off a year. There is no statutory right to take time off on public holidays, or to be paid extra or get time off in lieu if you do work them. Many workers will have a contractual right to paid public holidays, but frequently this eats into their overall statutory right to annual leave, reducing the time they can choose to take off. Many employers, particularly smaller- to medium-sized ones in the private sector, comply with the right to time off by providing four weeks of paid holiday at times to be agreed, plus the eight statutory public holidays. [...]
This policy also ignores those workers who do not have the right to take public holidays off, and for whom public holidays are associated with longer hours and more demanding work. For those working in lower-wage jobs in the service economy, in pubs, restaurants and shops for example, public holidays are not holidays at all, but times when they are forced to work additional hours. Similarly, for anyone working precariously in the so-called gig economy, for example for Uber or Deliveroo, or on a zero-hours contract used by many pubs and restaurants, saying no to public holiday work is not an option. The only way to make public holidays meaningful for lower-paid service workers would be to force all shops, cinemas, bars and so on to close for the day.
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