Extra Bank Holidays

Other countries may have more Bank Holidays/ Saints Days etc but do they all have so many weeks paid leave as we do as well?

It's called the Early May bank holiday according to that article. Not quite as meaningful as May Day.

I realise that DJ but the holiday is still for May Day.

This is Labour's proposal as reported by the BBC
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39682388

Is the proposal is to have all the patron saints days as holidays in all regions? I would not want to encourage aggressive nationalist attitudes but if it was about celebrating cultural heritage: music/food etc. it all sounds like fun!

May Day is only a bank holiday if it's on a Monday.
It is this year, but not next year. It will be the first Monday after May Day.

Pen May Day is a Bank Holiday isn't it?
I take your point about communal holidays, and I too would prefer that shops etc were closed so staff could have time off, but they're not and staff have to work.
The other objection I have to the idea of holidays being on the patron saints days of the 4 UK countries is that I think we have quite enough nationalism rearing its head as it is.

That is why it would be good to support local community events! Get to know the neighbours more

We don't often venture far on a Bank holiday weekend as the traffic by us is usually chocker to quote a local radio station

We'd have to have an awful lot of extra bank holidays to have any kind of noticeable effect on the roads etc., IMO Penstemmon.

Oh dear! A major point of a public holiday is that community, friends and families can meet up and enjoy time together and celebrate something in common.

If we weren't such slaves to mammon we would be relieved to have shops etc. closed. Emergency & essential services would have more leeway to offer public holidays to the workforce (e.g. SiL has either NYD or Xmas day off, never both).

If we had more bank holidays then there might be less pressure on roads etc. anyway as not everyone would be trying to do things on the same limited number of BHs.

If it's a Monday or a Friday then it does make a long weekend for some

I agree with Jane, so many people have to work on BH it would seem sensible to increase statutory holidays. Put an end to congested roads, queues in leisure areas, and all the other annoying things about BH.

The autumn would seem a logical time if we were to have one more Bank Holiday.

DH thinks Trafalgar Day would be a good day but I think that could upset the French.

All Saints Day?

Is it because in UK we are more inflexible and rule bound that it seems awfulmto have a holiday midweek?? Other cultures seem.to take it in their stride!

France has so many public holidays in the Spring it's ludicrous. Depending on how late or early Easter is, it's possible to have 3 in May. This year for example they have May 1st...Fete de Travail, May 8th VE day,May 25th Ascension Day. Not to mention the fact that they have just had Easter on April 17th. Well, 'Vive la Republique'... considering they are proud to declare themselves a secular country (no religion taught in schools) they do pretty well out of religious holidays too. As these days off work can occur in the middle of the week (Assumption, Ascension etc) it must be massively inconvenient for factories. But Spain is even worse..... an obscure saint's day is a good enough excuse for a fiesta. But they are an unashamedly Catholic country so at least they have a reason.... perhaps

Germany has 11 public holidays aganst 8 in England &Wales.
janeainsworth whist I see some merit in increasing statutory hols. part of the purpose of national holidays is to share a common celebration. In England we ae quite good at that for Queenie things but it would be good to restore e.g. May Day as a celebration for "ordinary"people. US have Thanksgiving which can be shared by all regardless of background. Be good to have that type of 'things in common' holiday

Yes Cherrytree, that is why I posted the months, seems March Aptil would be rsther a long holiday period

Gosh..I am not sure of details. I would have to research that! I know that in Spain town often had their own Saints days too.

Pentesimmon The countries that you refer do they have equally spaced out public holidays and not clustered together as they would be with this proposal (with the exception November)?

How does their paid annual holiday entitlement compare to the British one?

I think it would be better to increase statutory holidays from the present 20 days, rather than increase public holidays.
Then people could use their holiday when they wanted to.
So many people are forced to work on public holidays anyway.

Yes Annie but sometimes Easter falls in March so then there would be 2 Easter bank holidays plus 2 Saints Bank hols.
It's only St Andrew's day that would break up the long Autumn stretch.

When my DC were young the schools in our area provided a day off at the end of November to allow the teachers to do their Christmas Shopping.
I would be more in favour of just one more bank holiday if it was in the Autumn.

That is a very good point Penstemmon

Other countries seem to cope better with holidays! I understood that UK has fewer public holidays than most other places. It does not reflect on productivity though as places with more hols do equally as well,or better!

St.Andrews Day. - November

St.Georges day. - Aptil

St. Patrick's day - March

St.Davids Day. - March

Not likely. Any proposed bank holidays should be in the long long autumn term.