It may be the Bank Holiday weekend this coming weekend but Ireland on Dublin MEP has revealed that Ireland currently has the second lowest number of public holidays in the EU, and is calling for more public holidays.
According to Fine Gael’s Brian Hayes, Ireland as a nation is the third lowest country in the world when it comes to public holidays (9) with only Hungary, Netherlands and the UK (8) having fewer public holidays than us.
Mr Hayes also claimed that additional public holidays should be implemented as part of any pay restoration talks, explaining: “As a recovery country with pay restoration dominating national debate it’s time to look at our public holidays,” he said.
He went onto say: “The European average is 11 and we lie second last with 9 public holidays a year.” “Additional structured bank holidays can generate economic activity and jobs.
“The October Bank Holiday is the perfect example.