Why does Ireland have so FEW Bank Holidays?

hblock21 · 26-08-2010 12:49pm #1

I was looking through my diary and came across a page listing all the bank holidays including other country's. I was amazed that Ireland was one of about 2 or 3 country's that gave the least amount of bank holidays.

For example -

Australia - 22

Austria - 23

Canada - 27

Denmark - 15

France - 15

Ireland - 11

Norwary - 16

Italy - 12

Poland - 12

UK - 16

Spain - 35 !!!

I had previously thought the Ireland were generous with Bank Holidays but not now. Why do other countries give so many holidays???

mikemac · 26-08-2010 12:59pm

Labour party were promising to give another two if elected.
Could have been all talk, who knows

February 1st, St Brigids Day was pencilled in for sure

who the fug · 26-08-2010 1:01pm

hblock21 wrote: »

I was looking through my diary and came across a page listing all the bank holidays including other country's. I was amazed that Ireland was one of about 2 or 3 country's that gave the least amount of bank holidays.

For example -

Australia - 22

Austria - 23

Canada - 27

Denmark - 15

France - 15

Ireland - 11

Norwary - 16

Italy - 12

Poland - 12

UK - 16

Spain - 35 !!!

I had previously thought the Ireland were generous with Bank Holidays but not now. Why do other countries give so many holidays???

Where are they getting 16 for the UK, I can only count 8

VonLuck · 26-08-2010 1:13pm

Wikipedia says 8 also, and 9 for Ireland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_holiday#Current_practice

mikemac · 26-08-2010 1:18pm

Raceweek in Galway could be counted for some staff

Lots get halfdays, it's traditional

tenchi-fan · 26-08-2010 1:31pm

Workers here get a lot of annual leave.

Statutory annual leave entitlement in the US / canada can be non-existent. Maybe 10 days, maybe fewer, and none in your first year of employment.
Even sick days can come out of your AL entitlement.

I get 22 days AL + Flexi days.
My manager gets about 27 days.

daigo75 · 26-08-2010 1:48pm

tenchi-fan wrote: »

Workers here get a lot of annual leave.

Statutory annual leave entitlement in the US / canada can be non-existent. Maybe 10 days, maybe fewer, and none in your first year of employment.
Even sick days can come out of your AL entitlement.

I get 22 days AL + Flexi days.
My manager gets about 27 days.

It's true that US and Canada offer worse conditions, but I know of countries where people have 30 or more days of annual leave (my father used to take the whole month of August off, plus two or three weeks at Christmas).

I forgot: if you actually manage to take so much leave or not, it's another story.

gollem_1975 · 26-08-2010 1:53pm

hblock21 wrote: »

I was looking through my diary and came across a page listing all the bank holidays including other country's. I was amazed that Ireland was one of about 2 or 3 country's that gave the least amount of bank holidays.

For example -

Australia - 22

Austria - 23

Canada - 27

Denmark - 15

France - 15

Ireland - 11

Norwary - 16

Italy - 12

Poland - 12

UK - 16

Spain - 35 !!!

I had previously thought the Ireland were generous with Bank Holidays but not now. Why do other countries give so many holidays???

does this mean days on which the bank is closed or does this mean days on which everyone gets a day off ?

seamus · 26-08-2010 1:54pm

You're probably getting confused between public holidays and bank holidays.

Public holidays are national days off. Bank holidays are weekdays that the banks are closed, but everyone else has to work. Good Friday is an example of a bank holiday.

No country gives more than 16 public holidays. Personally I think there should be at least one per month. So add one more day each in February, July, September and November and we'll be laughing.

BroomBurner · 26-08-2010 5:48pm

In many countries in Europe, if a public holiday falls on a Saturday/Sunday, they don't give the following Monday off. For example, this year Christmas will fall on a Saturday. In Ireland, this means most places will close on the following Monday and (possibly) Tuesday. However, for European countries, places will be open Friday, then again on Monday.

It usually balances out at around 10-12 days a year, sometimes less.

cynder · 26-08-2010 5:49pm

In all fairness the banks don't deserve any holidays!

Mrs OBumble · 26-08-2010 6:53pm

tenchi-fan wrote: »

Workers here get a lot of annual leave.

Statutory annual leave entitlement in the US / canada can be non-existent. Maybe 10 days, maybe fewer, and none in your first year of employment.
Even sick days can come out of your AL entitlement.

I get 22 days AL + Flexi days.
My manager gets about 27 days.

I was going to say what you did about needing to factor in minimum annual leave entitlements.

But it is worth noting that Ireland has ZERO minimum sick leave days: most companies I've worked for have said that sick leaves means that if you are sick you are allowed to not come to work and they won't consider you to have abandoned the employment unless you didn't ring in. But only one has been willing to pay me for days on which this has happened. (It's a good incentive to say healthy!)

cgcsb · 09-01-2024 11:52am

Thread bump. 14 years later and we have an extra public holiday in Feb and still the lowest number of public holidays in the EU at 10, since the UK's exit. The only countries with less holidays are UK, USA, Canada, Mexico Brazil and Ecuador. Bizarley for a constitutionAl Republic we've no day recognising the constitution or foundation of the Republic, surely worth commemorating even if the Republic isn't yet territorialy complete. We could also make good Friday a holiday, an extra day between Christmas and New year's. Surely we should be aiming for 15, among the highest in europe.

JeffKenna · 09-01-2024 11:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121590979#Comment_121590979

I'd vote for you anyway

beertons · 09-01-2024 11:56am

Welcome back.

AngryLips · 09-01-2024 12:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121590979#Comment_121590979

Isn't it the case that on the continent, if a public holiday falls on a weekend that you won't get the day off? So in effect, you need to account for the likelihood that 2/7 holidays a year will not result in a day off when making comparisons to the continent?

Pauliedragon · 09-01-2024 12:20pm

Australia does not have 22. It varies slightly between states but NSW has 11.

irelandrover · 09-01-2024 12:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121591087#Comment_121591087

Yes, I work in the netherlands.

Some of the public holidays are guaranteed to fall on the weekend as well such as Easter sunday and whit monday. I think we have 10 public holidays, but 2 fall on a Sunday every year and liberation day is only a free day every five years.

This year only 6 of the holidays fall during the week.

cgcsb · 09-01-2024 2:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121591149#Comment_121591149

Sounds grim

GBXI · 09-01-2024 2:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121590979#Comment_121590979

Where is the stat to back up this claim? Ireland definitely is not one of the lowest in the EU. We have 10 public holidays and as has been said, unlike many EU countries we still get the day off work should the holiday fall on the weekend. Not the case in NL or DE, for example. DE for example has different holidays for different states.

maneno · 09-01-2024 2:37pm

In all the places I have worked, Good Friday is considered a bank holiday

Jim2007 · 09-01-2024 4:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121590979#Comment_121590979

Fourteen years and not a whisper for a change would suggest that the voters are just not interested....

L1011 · 09-01-2024 4:50pm

That 35 for Spain figure is assuming that everyone gets every regions individual holidays. They don't. ~12 is the norm there and they can lose days to weekends like mentioned as affecting various countries.

I could see a July BH to give a run of one a month in the summer months being an obvious one to add here.

Pogue eile · 09-01-2024 4:58pm

Belgium have 10 and like other European Countries if any of those fall on a weekend tough - there are 9 actual Bank Holidays this year.

Jim2007 · 09-01-2024 5:17pm

It is not so easy to figure it out in Switzerland, there is one national holiday - the 1st of August, which is in honour of the founding of the state. Then each Kanton (like a county in Ireland/UK) is entitled to have 8 public holidays at the regional level. But then there are also certain religious holidays that are also allowed by Kanton depending if is a Catholic or Protestant Kanton. Generally speaking Catholic Kantons have more holidays than Protestant ones, so perhaps about 10 to 12 days per year. And like most of Europe if a holiday falls at the weekend you get nothing for it.

Mrs OBumble · 09-01-2024 9:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121591695#Comment_121591695

In Ireland, Good Friday is a Bank Holiday. That just means that the banks are closed.

But it is not a public holiday.

maneno · 11-01-2024 10:25am

What I meant to say is that I have never had to go to work on that day in all places I have worked

Why does Ireland have so FEW Bank Holidays?

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