ALMOST two million workers are not receiving their legal holiday entitlement because of heavy workloads and employers who deny leave requests, a new study suggests.

Research by the TUC indicated that one in 14 employees are missing out on the time off they are entitled to.

Women were more affected than men while workers in education, health and social care and retail were most likely to be losing out, the report shows.

The TUC said more workers are taking claims for unpaid holiday to employment tribunals since fees were abolished in 2017.

Its general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Every worker deserves a break to spend time off with friends and family, but millions are missing out on the paid leave they are owed.

“British workers put in billions of pounds worth of unpaid overtime as it is.

“Employers have no excuse for robbing staff of their leave.

“The government must toughen up enforcement to stop bosses cheating working people out of their holidays and ministers must not resurrect tribunal fees which stopped people enforcing their rights.”

Workers are entitled to 28 days holiday for a typical five-day week but the TUC cited previous research which revealed that employees put in unpaid overtime worth £32 billion last year.

The government last week said that millions of low-paid workers could receive more workplace protections and proposed a single labour market enforcement body with powers to enforce minimum wage and holiday pay.