Workers in Britain have least holiday time in EU

British employees slogging away in the August heat might feel that they are getting a raw deal. Now it's official: Britons have less paid holiday than employees in any other country in the EU, according to a survey published yesterday.

Workers in the UK are entitled to a minimum of 28 days off, including statutory annual leave and public holidays, putting them at the bottom of an EU league table.

The Netherlands also offers only 28 days off a year, while Irish workers are entitled to 29 days, according to the study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. While the average leave and holiday entitlement across all EU states was 34 days, Finland topped the table with 39 days.

The study also revealed that the UK had the fewest public holidays within the EU, with only eight a year.

There have been efforts to change things: earlier this year, a government think-tank suggested that Britain should establish regional bank holidays across the country.

The Institute for Public Policy Research proposed the regional holidays in a bid to boost regional identities as well as the number of days off work.