HOLIDAY ENTITLEMENT
Six million workers set to benefit from extra holiday entitlement
The government has unveiled proposals to increase workers' holiday entitlement from 20 days per year to 28.
New research has shown that up to six million workers would benefit from an extra eight days holiday each year under the plans. Some employers currently include the eight bank holidays as part of workers' 20-day annual leave entitlement (pro-rata for part-timers).
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Consultation exercise
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is launching a second public consultation on the implementation of the changes. Statutory annual leave entitlement would be increased in two stages:
rising from 20 to 24 days on 1 October 2007
and from 24 to 28 days on 1st October 2008.
The consultation closes on 13 April 2007.
An increase would move UK workers' annual leave entitlement closer to that of employees in other European countries, where holiday allowance is typically more generous.
Compared with the current minimum allowance of 20 days in the UK, for example, workers in Ireland are entitled to 29 days; the highest minimum entitlement is in Austria at 38 days.
Want to know more?
“Increasing the holiday entitlement - a further consultation”, can be found at www.dti.gov.uk/employment/holidays/index.html
The right to 20 days paid holiday was introduced by the government in 1998. The government held an initial consultation that closed on 22 September 2006 and received over 300 responses.
Details of the initial consultation, including the Government response, can be found at the above web site.
Read the press release online at www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=255822&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False