Labour want more bank holidays!?

[LadyRoseate]

Sorry if there's a thread about this already, I can't see one.

WTF? Why is this Labour's idea of some kind of attractive policy to wheel out for an election campaign? Why are they talking about this when there is so much to address about austerity, NHS, education and Europe? I despair.

And obviously JC has no idea what it's like being a working parent who's responsible for sorting out childcare for yet another fecking holiday. I'm self-employed and every bank holiday costs me a day's pay unless I can find childcare. The same will go for a lot of people in the gig/zero-hours economy.

I'm a Labour voter but FFS.

[MrsGuyOfGisbo]

He assumes his voters all work in the public sector and so will happily vote for another day off. Reported today that entrepreneurs will not vote labour - no surprise since they are creating the wealth to pay for the jobs and holidays for Corbyn's client electorate - such as they are.

[RMC123]

It would also be a disaster for the economy, another day where the country is less productive. Plus essential public sector jobs will have to have double pay for the day, another drain on NHS resources for example. i have always previously voted Labour but this just confirms to me that JC is not up to the job.

[InvisibleKittenAttack]

Agree it would have been better to just increase the minimum hoilday allowance. But there we are, it sounds good. Until you look a the details...

[LadyRoseate]

It's not so much that think Labour might win and this might actually happen – I'm more pissed off that Labour have touted such a worker-unfriendly, parent-unfriendly, and basically trivial idea as some kind of vote-winning brainwave. It's just so far away from what they should be addressing. I am a labour voter and will vote for my own labour MP, but Corbyn really isn't helping!

[troodiedoo]

I'm a big labour and jc supporter but not keen on this idea. Many people will just be forced to work it, and some will be forced to take it out of their leave when they'd rather take it another date. Increasing annual leave would have been better.

[QuitMoaning]

It is awful for small businesses.

Lovely for me on a personal level as I work for a very large company but for small businesses, this could be disastrous. I think this a seriously bad idea.

[derxa]

I always think of Y6 sitting SATs. So many holidays but they need to be in school getting ready.

[Evergreen777]

A November one would be great for getting ahead on Christmas shopping. It could even be good for the economy of everyone went out spending money (in between remembrance ceremonies of course)

Realise that's not so great for those who work in retail. But would at least split the holidays up a bit round the year.

Labour aren't going to win but the Tories have been known to hijack popular policies of theirs in the past (living wage, etc) so you never know

[ForalltheSaints]

I would like a bank holiday in November myself, not more in the early part of the year. November 11th would be my choice, to remember those who have died in war.

Anyway the Labour proposal will not happen as they are not going to get a majority.

[Itisnoteasybeingdifferent]

I would like an extra BH in mid summer and autumn.. But having a BH this weekend is crap. The weather is lousy cold and wet. Typical for early May. On top of Easter and Whitsun we don't need three BH's at this time of year.

The problem is that May Day holds relegious significance for Labour.

[thatdearoctopus]

it would mean 7 Bank Holidays between the 1st of March and the beginning of June. Crazy.

But more worrying is the fact that Jeremy Corbyn thought this was worth mentioning. I mean, how stupid does he think we are?

[MoreProseccoNow]

My heart sank when I heard this. I'd rather have extra annual leave than have extra public holidays.

For me, it's a childcare nightmare. We struggle to cover the existing school holidays without adding more.

JC needs to get his policies out the 1970's & in to the 21st century.

[cdtaylornats]

Everybody gets all 4 holidays? Four more days away from work. Who is going to pay?

[RortyCrankle]

DoIDareDisturbTheUniverse
I thought the same but DP pointed out it's an attempt to gain back votes from the racist 'patriotic' UKIP voters who go rabid over St. George's Day

The same as the Irish who go rabid over St Patrick's Day or the Welsh who go rabid over St David's Day or the Scots who go rabid over St Andrew's Day?

Oh silly me, I forgot, it's only the English who mustn't show any pride in their country. Well tough shit - I wore my St George's Day red rose with pride on Sunday.

[cdtaylornats]

More bank holidays, better paternity leave, higher taxes, ban zero hours contract, government contracts only to companies that pay the living wage.

I predict a lot more people on zero hours - just not on contracts.

[Chipstick10]

Who is it going to help.? Office workers yes, they will get a day off, public sector workers at the local council offices , but not me. The supermarket worker will still have to work

[JellyWitch]

Bread and circuses was exactly my thought too. Sad times.

[nancy75]

Let's have more days off work, everyone will like that!
It's something to say when you've got nothing else

[TroysMammy]

Day

[TroysMammy]

But the additional Bank Holidays wouldn't be on a Monday giving a long weekend for a lot of people. They would be moveable. I would only celebrate St David's Day on 1st March. Anyway it wouldn't justify a day off to wear a daffodil, eat Welsh cakes and laverbread. When I was a child we went to school dressed up in Welsh costume, had a concert and then went home in the afternoon.

What about people who eg are Welsh and live in Scotland? They wouldn't have the day off to celebrate their Patron Saint's D, they would have the day off to celebrate someone else's. Pie in the sky.

[Violetcharlotte]

I've always voted Labour but I have to agree that this is silly. There are always many pressing issues going on - I want to hear what politicians are going to do about funding for the NHS, education, social care, homelessness. Bank holidays are not too of the agenda right now!!

I'm actually seriously considering voting Lib Dem in this election. Labour seems so far off the mark right now. They don't arm to really have a grip on who their core supporters are.

[magimedi]

Bread & circuses is what came to my mind when I read this news.

(And I have always been a labour voter)

[CuthbertDibble]

The problem with extra bank holidays is that it will reduce the choice of when to take holiday for many people. Current law is that everyone is entitled to 28 days per year, eight of these are bank holidays and you can choose when to take the other 20.

Adding an extra four bank holidays will mean that, unless they increase the statutory holiday entitlement, 12 days will be fixed and you'll only be able to choose 16.

[LadyRoseate]

Down time is good for peoples mental health, good for family life.

It can be, but so is being able to work and earn enough money.

[HaPPy8]

I think its a good idea. Down time is good for peoples mental health, good for family life. Just because its not good for you, doesn't mean it wouldn't be good for a lot of people. And i say that as someone who also has to work bank holidays.