Workers in England and Wales typically have eight bank holidays a year – but some European countries have 15, almost twice as many. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is calling for a “national hold” on when the new public holidays should take place and what they should celebrate. And the union condemned Tory leadership star Liz Truss for claiming British workers were “out of step” as figures showed they worked £27 billion in unpaid overtime last year. “Some politicians call UK workers lazy. But we work some of the longest hours in Europe. And we have the fewest public holidays,” TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said. “After today, there are no more public holidays until Christmas. Instead of insulting workers, let’s show more gratitude to our nation of grafters. They should have the same number of public holidays as other countries.” There are usually eight annual bank holidays for workers in England and Wales, while those in Scotland usually get nine or ten – depending on the timing of the New Year and patron saint days. Across the EU, the average is 12.3 public holidays per year. Finland and Romania get 15, while workers in Japan have 16 public holidays in total. The UK got an extra bank holiday this year to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
