I work at a semiconductor fab in Portland Oregon, we get 5 weeks paid vacation. There''s a fairly large group of my coworkers who never use their vacation or sicktime out of principal.
Only because it's not a law. In Germany, it's usual to get 30 days of vacation, 20 are legal minimum. Your employer is required to make sure, you actually take at least 20 days and can be fined otherwise.
The government forcing you to relax and have fun, or else, is wonderfully absurd. Feels like a paradox to be honest.
Our government doesn't care about us beyond how much value we can produce for the Oligarchs. The exception being certain natural disasters. Even then, how much they care is dependent on whether it gets national coverage, or international coverage.
No, they force your employer. Not you. That's a huge difference. You're free to do whatever you want, but your employer has to make sure, you actually get that time.
The government is forcing companies to allow you to take your PTO. Without said laws there are almost certainly going to be companies that will shame workers/create hostile environments to force employees into not taking their PTO.
They really are required not just to allow you take time off, but to make sure you take it. Which is great because as you say it leaves no room for pressure tactics.
And yeah I did once work with a weirdo who had no life and got really mad that he was forced to take time off :D