TUC believes Brexit could put paid holiday at risk

More than 7 million workers could be at risk of losing their rights to holiday pay if Britain votes in favour of leaving the EU, the TUC has claimed.

New analysis published by the union has revealed that one in four UK workers (7.4 million) have received extra paid holiday through European laws. But this hard-won right could be lost if Britain votes to leave the European Union, with many people at risk of losing some or all of their paid leave.

The analysis shows that since Europe guaranteed minimum paid holiday rights in 1998, more than 7 million workers (a quarter of the employed workforce) have gained on average 13 days more paid annual leave each.

Since 1998, that amounts to 1.5 billion days more paid leave for British workers – the equivalent of 96 million days a year.

Women have benefited the most, with 4.7 million getting more paid holidays, compared to 2.7 million men. And 4.2 million part-time workers have seen their paid holiday entitlement increase, the TUC said.

Prior to the EU rules, trade unions had negotiated contractual paid holidays for many workers. But it was only when four weeks’ paid annual leave became a legal right in 1999 that millions of other workers started to benefit.

The TUC has warned that, following a vote to leave the EU, the government would be able to decide whether or not to keep protections derived from EU laws, with no guarantee that they would keep paid holiday entitlements at their current level, or at all.

The TUC also has concerns that if the EU minimum standard were removed, unscrupulous employers could use loopholes to opt out of paid holiday entitlements, and this trend could spread.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Millions of working people enjoyed paid holidays in their job for the first time thanks to the rights we won from Europe. And millions more got extra time off to spend with their children and their friends, go away with the family or simply have a well-earned break.

“But voting to leave the EU risks the paid holidays of millions. We know that some of the biggest cheerleaders for Brexit see protections for ordinary British workers – like paid holiday – as just red tape to be binned. And we know that bad bosses are rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of being able to cut workers’ hard-won entitlements.”