Thousands back petition for February 29 to be bank holiday 'after losing £113 by working for free'

The petition claims people were effectively not being paid to work on Monday
Bethany Clarke/Getty Images
Tom Marshall1 March 2016

Thousands of people are backing calls for February 29 to be made a bank holiday - after complaining they were working for free on Monday.

A petition on Parliament.uk has rapidly amassed more than 10,000 signatures in support of making the day a public holiday in four years' time.

Daniel Belfield, who set up the petition, claimed UK workers were effectively “losing” an average of £113 by working one more day in February during a leap year.

He said: “The average salary is £26500 - £113 per day over 233 working days.

“In a leap year, this rises to 234 working days. Therefore, the average salaried employee is losing out on £113 during a leap year as the additional day’s work is unpaid.

“The additional day should be substituted with a public holiday.”

His petition will be considered for a debate in Parliament should it reach 100,000 signatures.

Many took to social media to express their support, with one tweeter posting: “Who in the UK wants an extra bank holiday even if only every four years? I do!”

Richard McKenzie wrote on Facebook: “Please sign this petition to get an extra bank holiday during a leap year as everyone on a salary has worked today for free.”

And another tweeter, Tom Harris, posted: “Finally a petition that can unite us all."

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