The tradition of closing down all building sites for four weeks during the summer should be stopped and construction workers be freed to holiday when they want, the FNV building workers union says in the Telegraaf.

The traditional bouwvak (literally building hols) was officially phased out in the 1980s but remains commonplace in most building firms.
‘We need a lot of young people in this sector, and they are not the traditional breadwinners,’ said union spokesman John Kerstens.
‘They are often from double income couples who work together to run a household. And you need to be flexible. Being told by your boss when to take your holiday is not part of that,’ he said.
A poll of 300 union members showed nine out of 10 want to chose their own holiday dates. But 90% said their boss currently determines the summer shut-down.