‘Think carefully’ about new holiday, government warned

18/01/2008

The government must think carefully about the business implications of a new bank holiday, it has been claimed.

Brits have just eight bank holidays a year, compared to 12 in most European countries, and 16 in Spain.

The campaign to implement a new day off was launched in December by travel agents Thomas Cook, who said that, with 121 days between the last bank holiday in August and the Christmas break, Brits deserved an extra day off.

However, recruitment company Smart Recruitment warned the costs to business could be between £2bn and £6bn a day.

The company argued that, with the statutory holiday entitlement due to be increased from 24 to 28 days a year in 2009, an extra day off could mean huge losses to the economy.

However, the they said an extra bank holiday would benefit workers – as long as the government thinks carefully about where in the calendar to put the day.

Helen Stacey, a spokesperson for the company, said she was convinced an extra bank holiday would motivate workers.

“I think a compromise can be reached to satisfy both employers and employees by ensuring that an additional bank holiday be placed in the summer months, possibly as an extension of the existing August bank holiday.

“An additional August bank holiday would increase business for the leisure and tourism trades,” she said.

Stacey added that the short-term costs of an additional day off may prove insignificant when compared to the long-term costs of our health.

“Stress-related illness costs the UK £4.4bn a year,” she said.