here it's law that you get 5 weeks paid on any permanent job. Last year I worked I had 5 weeks plus 8*8 that could be taken as pay, days or hours. Union wanted everyone to take the time off because if people just take pay companies wont give more time off because it's cheaper to raise wages.
It is also law that you have the right to take 4 weeks in a row between 1st June and end of August. A lot of companies just close up for a few weeks during the summer.