Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Lizzy Buchan & Gemma Jones

Unions call for four more UK Bank Holidays after £27bn of free labour last year

Union chiefs are calling for British workers to have four more Bank Holidays per year.

The Trades Union Congress wants the UK brought in line with other European countries – which enjoy an average 12.3 public holidays a year - as a reward for a "nation of grafters." It comes after the TUC claimed that UK firms claimed £27billion of free labour last year in unpaid overtime.

Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Cyprus top the table with 15 bank holidays per year. Meanwhile, England and Wales typically get eight bank holidays a year while Scotland and Northern Ireland have nine or 10, depending on the timing of New Year and their patron saint days, reported The Mirror.

READ MORE: AA issues traffic amber warning for August bank holiday weekend

The body’s call for more holidays comes after leaked audio emerged of Tory leadership favourite Liz Truss claiming UK workers need “more graft” as they lack the “skill and application” of those elsewhere. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Some politicians have been calling UK workers lazy but we work some of the longest hours in Europe. And we get the fewest public holidays. Instead of insulting workers, let’s show more gratitude to our nation of grafters.”

When challenged on her leaked remarks – made while Chief Secretary to the Treasury between 2017 and 2019 – Ms Truss claimed she did not recognise them. She previously faced anger over Britannia Unchained, a book she co-authored with four other Tory MPs in 2012 and which described British staff as “the worst idlers in the world”.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, tipped to be Chancellor if Ms Truss wins, was a contributor. Boris Johnson snubbed calls by Labour leader Keir Starmer for an extra bank holiday this year to celebrate England’s Women’s Euros win.

The Government said: “The current pattern of public and bank holidays is well established and while an additional holiday may benefit some, the cost to the economy is considerable.”

Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here

READ MORE:

Coronation Street's Bernie Winter star has a famous wife soap fans may recognise

The Chase: Sunetra Sarker’s forgotten role and unconventional marriage

A Place In The Sun's Laura Hamilton poses in white bikini in boat snap

First Dates' Cici Coleman shows off weight loss amid role away from show

Paul O'Grady fans made up as he 'finds out' who his parents are

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.