LONDON, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- British officials say they are considering eliminating the traditional May Day holiday and replacing it with another day off later in the year.
But the proposal has struck a raw nerve in labor union officials who see it as a Tory plot to get rid of workers' day, The Guardian reported.
May Day is now a traditional bank holiday in the United Kingdom. The new holiday might be called U.K. Day and would be a day off for all Britons, the newspaper said.
British Tourism Minister John Penrose said it would thin out the number of bank holidays that occur around Easter and also would extend the tourist season.
"Tourism businesses in the U.K. are brilliant at providing a quality experience for their customers all year round, but the government should play its part in helping them to do so," Penrose said.
A labor union official called on the government to abandon the plan.
"There is strong support for an extra public holiday as the U.K. has the stingiest allocation in Europe," said labor official Brendan Barber. "But the last thing we need is for the government to mess around with established bank holidays that workers and businesses have built their schedules around."
