The plans, which were put out for consultation by the Department of Industry until this week (Sept 22), mean that nurseries would not be able to include eight bank holidays in the current four weeks' (20 days) statutory holiday entitlement.
The DTI is proposing to increase the entitlement to 5.6 weeks (28 days) for staff working five days a week. Employees currently working for two and- a-half days a week would see their entitlement rise from ten to 14 days.
Claire Schofield, head of communications at the National Day Nurseries Association, said, 'What we will be saying to the Government is that increasing the holiday entitlement is fine in principle, but in practice it is going to make things much harder for a sector already struggling because of the impact of rises in the minimum wage and falling occupancy.'
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