British workers have less paid holiday than employees in any other country in the European Union, according to a new survey.

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 a European Union league table.

The average leave and holiday entitlement across all EU states was 34 days, and Finland leads the way with 39 days.

A spokesman for the DTI told ePolitix.com: "Any move to increase the number of bank holidays, or make them a statutory entitlement, would have to be balanced against the inevitable cost and disruption to industry.

"We are committed to promoting an effective work-life balance and tackling the long hours culture, and we have made positive steps in this area, such as with the introduction of the working time and parental leave regulations.

"The government feels that an overall leave entitlement, rather than specified days off, is the best way to provide workers with time off work as it enables workers and employers to agree arrangements that are flexible and suit both parties."

Forum Response: Institute of Directors

Richard Wilson, business policy executive at the IoD, told ePolitix.com: "UK businesses operate in an intensively competitive global environment and so it is simplistic to compare the annual leave of British employees with those employees in other European Union countries.

"Employees in the USA, for example, only receive two weeks paid leave. So, in comparison with the USA - the powerhouse of the world economy - British employees are doing pretty well because they have twenty-eight days statutory annual leave.

"Although we see no need for additional bank holidays, if more were to be introduced there might be a case for one on May 8 to celebrate the defeat of Nazism and one on June 18th to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.

"These are events which the whole country could celebrate. This would be infinitely better than having regional bank holidays, for which there is no demand and which could be disruptive for businesses with operations in different parts of the country."

Forum Response: Federation of Small Businesses

David Bishop, deputy head of press and parliamentary affairs, told ePolitix.com: "Most small firms offer their employees more time off than the legal minimum, but an enhanced right to statutory leave would come at a price.

"The current statutory leave entitlement is set at a level to ensure the continued productivity of the UK economy, particularly the small firms' sector.

"We would oppose moves to increase this statutory entitlement unless there was overwhelming evidence that such an increase would not have an adverse effect on productivity."