Labour's plan for new Bank Holidays

Read Ab's posts, gillybob.. Yesterday at 17.23 and today at 9.17. I was querying them.

As to increased holidays lowering productivity it seems that research is saying that it increases rather than decreases productivity. There's a whole page of google search results on the topic here if anyone wants to explore the concept further

tinyurl.com/y8kcf4nh

I recently read a book about the 19th C moves to regulate working hours for children. The 'shorter working time reduces productivity' argument was used by employers resisting such moves. Do you know that at some periods in some industries children were expected to work 20 hours a day? I know we've moved on from that but the principle of the 'anti more time off' argument is much the same as it was in Victorian times.

sillynanny your son should check his contract, he should at least get time and a half , or a day off in lieu.
I’m sure that the paid staff of the Charity shop also get days off in lieu or time and a half or even double time as is the norm these days.
My manager at the Charity I volunteered for made it known to us that she worked all hours when we were at home on Bank Holidays, but upon me questioning her she admitted to the days off being given in lieu, she was just trying to make us ( volunteers!!) feel that she was hard done by.

I am sorry folks but I honestly can only add my heartfelt feelings, which simply is.........what a load of old tosh!!!
Of course knowing whom is behind this not properly thought out rubbish idea, one cannot expect better.
Bah humbug I say!!

We certainly do NOT need an extra holiday around April/May, not unless they lose the may day one and move that elsewhere so that St Georges replaces it.

My DS has to work Bank holidays as his company is open for trading 7 days a week. He does not get a day off 'in lieu' either!
The Charity shop I volunteer in only closes Christmas Day, Boxing Day & Easter Sunday. The paid staff work every Bank Hol too!

I worked all my life in retail or nursing. I hardly ever had a whole Christmas off, even when my children were small. As for the other bank holidays, I was lucky if they fell on my days/nights off! I am another who would have appreciated an extra week annual leave.

With only 8 Bank Holidays and the fact that employers can chose to give them as part of a employee's statutory annual leave (of 28 days per annum) this looks like an attempt at trying to make life a little kinder for very hard working British workers. With £57 billion lost in productivity due to poor health and well-being the joy an extra day brings could be well worth it. However, I acknowledge, mostlyharmless, this wouldn't make any difference to those without proper contracts and job security.

Yes I am sure Maizie, again you are thinking big business being taken on by the Unions. Do you not know there are many, many small businesses in this country, employ perhaps three or four , even on minimum wage if the employer was forced to pay for 4 extra days holiday it would cost over £1,000

I would like to know the number of employees in full time work for small businesses and the number of zero hours
workers .

Such an obsession with big business, sod the small businesses , I live in an area where there are no big companies apart from supermarkets, coffee shops, book shops, small builders etc , I know many employers whose staff knockoff after their eight hours and the employer works on through the evening .

Employers ARE NOT taking bank holidays from the statutory days they are adding them on Mazie . As I said in my previous post many employers trade on actual bank holidays and those days are given as extra statutory days . Can’t see a problem .

Although I'm a lifelong labour supporter, this is one idea that. as an active Humanist, I am appalled by. The vast majority of young people in this country are not religious (over 70% I believe) and even if more bank holidays were a good idea, these would be meaningless to the younger generation and those to come, as well as to non-Christians and non-believers.

When I was self employed the only time I could take holidays was on bank holidays which I could sometimes add another day to. Other times they were useful because I could go into the office and now that the phone would be quiet all days and I could get things done.
We have fewer than other countries but the choice of dates is stupid and needs a lot more discussion.
People will just take the days in between off sick or will take them as holidays and the country will end up closing down as it does not between Christmas and New Year.
I support Corbyn but I do sometimes want to give him a shake.

Not sure what you mean Mazie it’s the way it’s been for years

But Ab seems to be saying that employers are taking BHs out of the 20 days statutory holiday entitlement when in fact they should be additional to it.

It used to be commonplace that if you worked a BH you were either paid double time or got a day off in lieu.

I suppose that with the modern expectation that people should work 7 days a week, 24 hours a day (OK, I'm exagerating) and no recognition of any day of the week being 'special' or different, double time and days off in lieu have all gone out of the window now?

Northern Ireland and Scotland already have bank holidays on their national Saints’ days. They have nine or ten bank holidays a year while England and Wales have eight. We have the fewest in Europe.

But I’m not sure that Corbyn’s proposal is the best way to allocate new public holidays. Two extra days off in March - just before Easter too.

Big employers usually give a day off in lieu if they don’t close down for a bank holiday. But probably not all employers. Self employed, zero hours workers, gig economy etc are not likely to benefit from this.

There is a legal requirement for an employer to give 20 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays . Many employers ( think leisure and retail) lump them all together as they trade on the bank holidays .
Not sure what you mean Mazie it’s the way it’s been for years .

AB, are you sure that employers can legally do that?

It does kind of point to the need for strong unions if employers are doing ths...

28 days annual holidays minus 8 bank holidays , 20 days annual holidays, less 4 Saint Days = 16 days annual holidays .

Well, there you go, kitty, Gransnet has spoken. Not only are they at the wrong time of year but they shouldn't even be considered.

I find it odd that populist claptrap like blue passports is warmly welcomed but celebrating the patron saint's day of each UK country is roundly condemned.

How will it work? Will each country hold these bank holidays on different days? Will they be on a Monday ?

Worse for retired people too as clubs, classes etc close on Bank Holidays.

I do hope comrade Corbyn is going to pay my employees wages for these extra holidays he is hoping to give out. More sweeties anyone?

Exactly Situp it will certainly affect productivity, and the last thing the country needs at the moment.
Populist claptrap from a party that now specialises in populist claptrap, and yet another bribe to vote for them.

jusnoneed said it for me.

I’m afraid it will affect employees because their employers will have to foot the bill, the money will have to come from somewhere.
A day off, no productivity at a time when we are supposed to be trying to get onto our feet again and raise our output.

As someone who worked mainly in retail Bank Holidays were just another working day but made grumpy because I had to work!

No more please. They are another outdated item, why let some lucky people have the same few days off each year?
Just add 7 days onto peoples holiday entitlement so that they can choose when they want them.
Having been in the hospitality business for years and now caring work I have never had bank holidays off.