Nearly two million workers in the UK are not getting their legal holiday entitlement, according to the TUC.

New analysis estimates that nearly 1.960 million employees are not getting the minimum paid leave entitlement they are due. And over a million (1.145 million) are not getting any paid leave at all.

The analysis shows:

• Women workers (8.3%) are worse affected than men (5.9%)
• The sectors with the highest numbers of staff losing out on their legal holiday paid entitlement are education (341,000), retail (302,000), and health and social care (264,000)

The TUC says the main reasons people are missing out are:

• Workers being set unrealistic workloads that do not allow time to take leave
• Employers deliberately denying holiday requests and managing out people's leave
• Employers not keeping up to date with the law

Minimum holiday entitlements are a vital part of reducing overwork, says the TUC. People who work excessive hours are at risk of developing heart disease, stress, mental illness, strokes, and diabetes, which also impacts on colleagues, friends, and relatives.

The TUC wants HMRC to be granted new powers to clamp down on employers who deny staff their statutory holiday entitlement. This would include the power to ensure workers are fully compensated for missed holidays.

TUC 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."