The sooner the tug the forelock thankee boss attitude is done away with the better. The uhmerican attitude of kissing the bosses feet for allowing you to work is all very well if you're just an american but in the civilised world we're brighter than that. If the boss isn't making more money from an employee than he's paying out the company won't be round for long.

At the same time all the rights given to chicksa these days makes them practically impossible to hire.

I'm fairly confident that this will exclude public holidays. So the net effect is no change for the vast majority of us: our employers will start to include these in the numbers.

i suppose this depends on how much you enjoy your job, i get about 31 days a year and have work constantly pestering me as i barely ever take any of it.

is it wrong to like what you do! I think they'd be better off making it all more flexible, more holiday if you want, but less if you don't. I know some places let you buy and sell holidays, but it's never at a particularly nice rate, and generally needs to be agreed a year in advance.

"i suppose this depends on how much you enjoy your job, i get about 31 days a year and have work constantly pestering me as i barely ever take any of it."

This indicates either that you love your job, or are a sad bastard who has no life outside work.

Take your pick.

I am an American so the whole employees having rights beyond the freedom to find employment elsewhere is a bit foreign to me.

Surely you have the right to request anything you want? I am guessing there is also some corresponding obligation to satisfy the request for flexible hours?