UNISON Rotherham Local Government

More leave for lowest paid

(14/06/06) Up to two million of the lowest paid workers could get an extra eight days leave a year under government plans.

When the European working time directive gave everyone a legal right to four weeks holiday a year in 1998, that figure included bank holidays. Now, the government is consulting on how to introduce a change which will mean people are entitled to four weeks leave plus bank holidays.

Welcoming the move, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis, noted: "This was one of the key commitments in the Warwick agreement between the government and unions at Labour's national policy forum.

"We already work the longest hours in Europe and this goes some way to redress that. Workers need and deserve to have a decent amount of paid time off to allow them to lead balanced lives."

The government proposes to phase in the additional leave. The first step will see workers' legal entitlement raise from 20 days leave to 24 days (pro rata for part time workers) from 1 October 2007.

It is also seeking views on whether the extra four days – giving a total of 28 days leave – should be introduced:

• in one stage, from October 2008;
• in one stage, from October 2009;
• in two phases, increasing to 26 days in October 2008 and 28 days from October 2009.