Bank/Public Holidays

Its why our economy is far more productive.

We could introduce new public holidays where workers get the time off and dole people have to go and do a days work experience.

The public sector gets loads more holidays in the form of sick leave, time off for bereavement, with a generally lax attitude to taking time off for any trivial reason whatsoever.

While private sector workers are treated very differently, and have to explain any time off, and many don't get paid for any time off at all outside of official holidays.

That must really pee them off, and adds to explaining why we have to force these kinds of workers to come off the dole and get a job.

The gap is not between public and private sectors but between good employers and bad.

Also you cannot look at this in isolation, annual holiday entitlement varies across countries, as do hours in the working week. Be interesting to see a list of average annual hours worked by country, but I doubt it exists. As an aside, several years ago the Swiss (in one of their many national referenda) voted against a proposed reduction in the standard hours for the working week.

We haven't had a new one for 40 years (May Day)
It's a disgrace that Rememberance Day hasn't been made a Public Holiday

May 21, 2018 -- 12:34PM, Dr Crippen wrote:

The public sector gets loads more holidays in the form of sick leave, time off for bereavement, with a generally lax attitude to taking time off for any trivial reason whatsoever.While private sector workers are treated very differently, and have to explain any time off, and many don't get paid for any time off at all outside of official holidays.That must really pee them off, and adds to explaining why we have to force these kinds of workers to come off the dole and get a job.

That post, crippen, nearly breaks the world record for the amount of total crap that can fit into 3 lines of garbage.

2 lines when it's re posted!

On the basis that there aren't so many banks left to actually close.
And, because so many people now work at weekends (particularly retail) and evenings, also because the old 9-5, Monday to Friday, is a fraction of what it was, perhaps all the Bank Holidays should be revised, maybe giving the odd Tue/Weds or days other than Monday. They need revising and there (as always) is no reason why we can't be the same as most other countries.
Our country is not 'more productive' but we have among the longest hours and worst working conditions of any country in the civilised world, so why not give workers more of a break.
MP's get about 4 months a year off, on full and good pay, which can add to their other streams of income. Maybe that should be cut?

the eu brought in paid leave for many in uk

or increased the amount for many

many do still get more than statutory minimum

some are forced to include bank hols into annual leave

it would be nice to see more floating bank holidays , say for st georges day.




a friend i played golf with in the 80s was employed by civil
service and he was allowed to book sick leave in advance and
had an annual entitlement of 5 weeks per annum to top up his
5 weeks holiday entitlement. if he didnt use his holidays or
sick leave he could not carry it forward to following year so it
was always used.

a sad state, seemingly no longer in existence.

yes that was before we joined the EU, happy times

And it was not just the civil service, there were many industrial companies who didn't give bank holidays , or perhaps just one or two

but had very good annual leave, partly flexible and part statuary
that's what counts.

of course all this is being whittled away