With only eight public holidays, the UK lags behind other G20 and EU countries. In a rousing speech at the Communications Workers Union (CWU) conference in Bournemouth, Jeremy Corbyn said:
Eight years of Tory austerity, which Labour will bring to an end, have had a disastrous effect on our vital public services and workers have paid a heavy price in the cost of living and their working lives.
Warm hearted #TheCWU welcome for @jeremycorbyn at #CWU18 this morning. Rousing speech inspires standing ovation 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/3xmUQUqCMP
— CWU (@CWUnews) April 23, 2018
As well as committing Labour to end austerity and public sector cuts, Corbyn announced that, under a Labour government:
St George’s Day will become a national holiday for Britain’s workers. It will be a day where we can all show our pride and celebrate our country’s tradition of fairness, inclusivity and social justice…
Our values of a fair and inclusive society are our country’s best values. And those shared values will be celebrated by making St George’s Day a national holiday.
The next Labour government will make #StGeorgesDay a bank holiday for Britain’s workers.
We'll make sure workers have a day off so we can all show our pride and celebrate our country’s tradition of fairness, inclusivity and social justice.https://t.co/18G082U9Gb
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) April 23, 2018
Four more bank holidays
Under Labour’s proposals, St David’s Day (1 March), St Patrick’s Day (17 March), St George’s Day (23 April), and St Andrew’s Day (30 November) will be national holidays. These are the patron saints’ days of Wales, Ireland, England, and Scotland, respectively.
Corbyn said:
We will give our workers four extra days paid holiday.
The four nations that make up our country are more divided as a result of the damaging and divisive policies of this Conservative government.
Referring to the Windrush scandal and “Go Home vans”, Corbyn said:
We need to end the Conservatives’ constant pandering to a rich elite at the top and their attempts to divide the rest of us, creating a “hostile environment” for people who come to contribute to our country…
Labour’s mission of social justice brings people and our nations together.
Happy St. George’s Day! With a Labour government, today would be a bank holiday – along with three others to celebrate our patron saints. Pass on the news! pic.twitter.com/r3FoWnsqh6
— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) April 23, 2018
Happy St George’s Day, indeed. With only ten days before the local elections, let’s make 3 May a day of national celebration as well.
Get Involved!
– Join The Canary if you appreciate the work we do.
– Help out Labour’s May 3 local election campaign.
– If you live in Swindon, Woking, Watford, Gosport or Bromley, don’t forget that you need identification to vote on 3 May.
– Read more about austerity and the Windrush scandal on The Canary.
Featured images via Sophie J. Brown / Acabashi – Wikimedia Commons
