Will June 3 be a public holiday every year in the UK? In any case, this is what the British employers want, which is campaigning to make permanent this additional day off decreed this year by the government in honor of the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
In an open letter to the Prime Minister published on Tuesday, sectoral organizations and bosses affirm that perpetuating the public holiday allocated on June 3 to celebrate the platinum jubilee would make it possible to “thank” each year not only the monarch but also “the services rendered and the kindness of millions of people in our community, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because this June 3 will also celebrate the millions of anonymous heroes of the pandemic. The government puts the cost of the extra day off this year at £2billion, according to the Department for Business (BEIS).
“The benefits of a new holiday day would exceed its cost, and would testify to our national values and compassion”, continues, without any figures to support these statements, this letter signed by the CBI, the largest British employers’ organization, by the boss of Siemens UK, by tourism promotion agencies or even by the association of brewers.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, however, tempered the hopes raised by the open letter by declaring on Tuesday “not to be aware of plans to make permanent” the June 3 public holiday.