Longer holiday entitlement to be phased in

Employees will now have to wait for two years to get 28 days' statutory holiday, after the Government announced it is to stagger the entitlement increases.

Plans unveiled by the Department of Trade and Industry as part of the Work and Families Act last week will see the minimum holiday entitlement rise from 20 to 24 days in October.

However, the full 28-day entitlement, which was unveiled last year, will not become law until 1 April 2009, six months later than the originally planned introduction in October 2008.

The Government said that up to six million workers would benefit from an extra eight days' holiday each year under the plans, designed to counter employers that include bank holidays in annual leave.

The delay will come as a blow to the 2.6 million part-time workers and 3.4 million full-time workers in the UK who do not currently enjoy the full 28-day allowance, which is still lower than the EU average.

Changes to holiday entitlement will cost hospitality sector £240m, warns BHA >>

Government to increase holiday entitlement from 20 days to 28 >>

By Christopher Walton

E-mail your comments to Christopher Walton here.