England is the one of the worst in the world when it comes to bank holiday provision.
The Workers of England Union believes it is time the British government gave the people of England another Bank Holiday as England has the lowest number of public holidays in the whole of the European Union at only 8 days, and the second lowest in the world.
Our view is that making St George’s day a bank holiday makes commercial sense as research has shown that consumers also enjoy spending money on holiday days. There has certainly been an increased trend for St George’s Day celebrations across England and this year in particular there have been a growing number of people asking why we celebrate St Patrick’s Day but not St George’s Day. We hope that Public houses, businesses and councils respond to this demand by launching their own events to mark England’s day of celebration.
‘We believe that promoting St Georges day as a national holiday and a family day will help create a positive sense of national identity, social unity and integrate our communities. St Georges Day should be a bank holiday, as it will instil a sense of belonging, stability and acceptance of community spirited values. Our campaign challenges anyone to tell us what is wrong with celebrating English accomplishments as a nation’.
Below is the list of Bank Holiday entitlements from around the world. See how far you have to scroll down the list to reach the UK. (We also have the Bank Holidays for England listed as well)
Why companies should give their staff another day off?
A positive day of celebrating what the people of England have accomplished as a nation could possibly bring much needed money to many industries and the communities where these businesses exist and companies could decide to give all their staff the day off on St George’s Day. The cost may initially concern businesses as obviously many are profit-oriented but they should balance profits with being civic-minded and patriotic. It works for the Irish and the Scots who are now seeing many industries enjoying highly profitable events on their patron saints day
However, the British Government will take a bit more persuading to come round to it. It has been made clear to the Workers of England Union that they will resist England getting any additional Bank Holidays. We ask that companies giving staff a day off on 23rd April and show they are community minded.
Bank Holiday entitlements from around the world.
COLOMBIA – 18 bank holidays a year
INDIA – 18 bank holidays a year
LEBANON – 16 bank holidays a year
SOUTH KOREA – 16 bank holidays a year
THAILAND – 16 bank holidays a year
FINLAND – 15 bank holidays a year
JAPAN – 15 bank holidays a year
ARGENTINA – 15 bank holidays a year
CHILE – 15 bank holidays a year
TURKEY – 14.5 bank holidays a year
SPAIN – 14 bank holidays a year
MOROCCO – 14 bank holidays a year
RUSSIA – 14 bank holidays a year
INDONESIA – 14 bank holidays a year
MALAYSIA – 14 bank holidays a year
PHILIPPINES – 14 bank holidays a year
PAKISTAN – 13 bank holidays a year
SLOVAKIA – 13 bank holidays a year
AUSTRIA – 12 bank holidays a year
BRAZIL – 12 bank holidays a year
CZECH REPUBLIC – 12 bank holidays a year
LITHUANIA – 12 bank holidays a year
SWEDEN – 11 bank holidays a year
ITALY – 11 bank holidays a year
FRANCE – 11 bank holidays a year
CROATIA – 11 bank holidays a year
DENMARK – 11 bank holidays a year
CANADA – 11 bank holidays a year
NEW ZEALAND – 11 bank holidays a year
CHINA – 11 bank holidays a year
SINGAPORE – 11 bank holidays a year
VIETNAM – 10 bank holidays a year
BELGIUM – 10 bank holidays a year
POLAND – 10 bank holidays a year
USA – 10 bank holidays a year
UKRAINE – 10 bank holidays a year
LUXEMBOURG – 10 bank holidays a year
NORWAY – 10 bank holidays a year
PORTUGAL – 10 bank holidays a year
NORTHERN IRELAND – 10 bank holidays a year
SERBIA – 9 bank holidays a year
ROMANIA – 9 bank holidays a year
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – 9 bank holidays a year
AUSTRALIA – 9 bank holidays a year
SCOTLAND – 9 bank holidays a year
HUNGARY – 8 bank holidays a year
NETHERLANDS – 8 bank holidays a year
**** ENGLAND AND WALES – 8 bank holidays a year ****
MEXICO – 7 bank holidays a year
What are England’s Bank Holidays
New Year’s Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
May Day Bank Holiday
Spring Bank Holiday
Summer Bank Holiday
Christmas Day Boxing Day