Britons enjoy less paid holiday than employees in any other EU country, a survey revealed today.

Research by Mercer Human Resource Consulting showed UK workers were entitled to a minimum of 28 days off, including statutory annual leave and public holidays.

The UK is joined at the bottom of the league by the Netherlands.

Topping the table is Finland, where employees are entitled to a minimum of 39 days holiday.

The average leave and public holiday entitlement across all EU states is 34 days.

In terms of annual leave, the minimum number of days ranges from 20 to 25.

There is far greater variation in the number of public holidays, with the Finns dishing out 14 to their workforce, while Britons receive just eight.

Monday August 11 2003