§ 10. Mr. Kennedyasked the Minister of Labour whether any statistics are available showing the number of workers provided with paid holidays; the average duration of the holiday; and what proportion of the workers concerned are affected by a provision for the return of the holiday pay to the employer or deductions from future wages?
§ Mr. E. BrownIt is estimated that over 9,000,000 workpeople are entitled to annual holidays with pay under collective agreements or other arrangements. The most usual period of the holiday is one week or six days, but in certain cases longer periods up to 14 days are fairly common. I am not aware of any arrangement which provides for the return of the holiday pay to the employer or deductions from future wages, except possibly in coal-mining. In that industry the district agreements cover some 730,000 workers and, in general, provide for the cost of the holiday payments to be taken into account in the ascertainments which determine the share of the surplus applicable to wages.
§ Mr. John MorganDo those figures include the agricultural workers who have been granted three or four days holidays with pay?
§ Mr. MorganThere would be about 500,000 of them, I suppose?
§ Mr. RileyHas the right hon. Gentleman any information as to how many manual workers are not covered by these agreements?
§ Mr. BrownIf the hon. Member will put a question on the Paper, I will give him the best answer I can. He will understand that we can give precise information about those who are covered by the agreements, but it is not quite so precise—and indeed is more in the nature of an estimate—in the case of those who are not covered by the agreements.