Case for an extra day

May 5 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IF you are one of the thousands reading this who are enjoying a relaxing bank holiday, you may care to wonder why we don’t have more time off.

We’re particularly mean about it in Britain, having the lowest number of public holidays per year in the European Union, excepting Romania – a situation which should no longer be allowed to continue.

It’s half as many as Italy and way below the EU average. European standardisation? Not when it actually comes to giving something to the workers, rather than taking.

Hard-working Britons deserve an extra day off each year and the Government should now recognise this at the earliest opportunity.

Hours, stress and depression have been rising for many people over the past 10 years and it makes sense to try to achieve a satisfactory work-life balance for all of us.

It might not be in fashion to make a plea for people to work less, but many believe a new holiday would do wonders for morale and actually improve productivity in the long-run.

A Commons early-day motion expressing the same thoughts has been signed by 66 MPs so far, including Calder Valley’s Chris McCafferty, and it seems an excellent idea.

October would appear the best time as it would break up the gruelling four-month stint between the August bank holiday and the Christmas break.

The TUC is suggesting that a new autumn holiday should celebrate the “great British tradition of volunteering” but it doesn’t really matter what reason is used – a chance to relax is the main thing.

The idea should not be ridiculed – it makes sense to stand up for another day off.