Union calls for four more bank holidays

The TUC said workers deserve more breaks. England and Wales usually get eight annual bank holidays, while Scotland and Northern Ireland typically get nine or 10. In Northern Ireland, St Patrick's Day and Orangemen's Day are also bank holidays. In Scotland, January 2 and St Andrew's Day are bank holidays.

How much do other countries get?

The TUC said that by contrast, the average number of public holidays for EU nations is 12.8 days each year. Countries including Japan, Australia, USA and China also give their workers several more public holidays than the UK, said the TUC.

What does TUC want?

The union is calling for a minimum of four additional annual bank holidays. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It’s not fair on UK workers to get so few public holidays.

“They work just as hard as people in other nations who get a lot more. The Government should put this right by increasing our bank holidays to at least 12 a year."

Will workers actually get the holiday?

Ms O’Grady added: “New bank holidays must be accounted for with an increase to the paid leave that workers are legally entitled to.

“Otherwise, some workers will miss out, and the Government must toughen up enforcement to stop bosses cheating working people out of their holidays.”

Who else backs it?

The unions' traditional adversary the Confederation of British Industry have called for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee bank holiday to be made permanent. They believe an extra day off would provide a social and economic stimulus in the wake of Covid-19, and that any potential economic cost could be offset by a boost in general wellbeing.

Is it going to happen?

The UK government is cautious about any loss of productivity, with a spokesman explaining that each bank holiday “presents a considerable and significant cost to our economy and therefore each proposal would have to be considered carefully on that basis”.

Other royal bank holidays?

There was a special bank holiday on June 7, 1977, as part of the Silver Jubilee of the Queen, and the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer on July 29 1981 resulted in an extra bank holiday.

When did bank holidays begin?

They were introduced by a man named Sir John Lubbock who was a scientific writer, banker and politician, and the first Baron of Avebury. He was also reported to have studied ants and tried to teach his poodle how to read. In 1871, he drafted the Bank Holiday Bill. When it became law, he created the first official bank holidays. Initially, it was just banks and financial buildings that would close, which is where the name comes from. But as time went on, businesses, shops, schools and the government all joined in.

Alan Jones