Employer buying two weeks leave

paddedjohn

bendix wrote: »

Not true. Many large employers - my own included - have flexible benefit schemes which enable employees to both buy and sell holiday time. In my own organisation, I can choose to sell back up to 5 days Annual Leave per year, or - similarly - I can buy an extra 5 days holiday per year.

One day's leave costs 1/260th of my annual salary.

This applied both in the UK when I worked there before, and here in HK too.

My post was completely true, we are talking about the op's statutary holidays. The only time you can sell them to the employer is if they are over and above the stat minimum or if the employment is ending.
Is Hong Kong law the same ours?

Notmyrealname

zagfles wrote: »

Perhaps they could get round this through a contract change? The WTD seems to only require one rest day a week, so if the OP and his/her employer agreed a 5.5 or 6 day week contract (assuming it's 5 at the moment) there would be plenty of scope to use up the 28 days leave throught the year...

Can't do that. Days taken as paid holiday are classed as working days for the purposes of the WTD. Hauliers tried that to get the average working hours down to 48 by claiming that they counted as zero hours only to be told a weeks paid holiday counted as 48hrs.

zagfles

Notmyrealname wrote: »

Can't do that. Days taken as paid holiday are classed as working days for the purposes of the WTD. Hauliers tried that to get the average working hours down to 48 by claiming that they counted as zero hours only to be told a weeks paid holiday counted as 48hrs.

Yes but I'm assuming the OP works 5 days, maybe 40 hours a week.

If the OP and employer agreed to a 5.5 day week of 44 hours average (say half day Sat or every other Sat), then he/she could use up statutory annual leave booking one day off every 2 weeks, so getting back down to 5. It would still be 44 hours even including the paid leave. And 26 leave days would be used up.

Probably a bit dodgy - but in theory it doesn't contravene the WTD.

bendix

paddedjohn wrote: »

My post was completely true, we are talking about the op's statutary holidays. The only time you can sell them to the employer is if they are over and above the stat minimum or if the employment is ending.
Is Hong Kong law the same ours?

I don't know, but i had the same situation in the UK. Same company as well.

I was only 27 days annual leave in the UK, and I was allowed to buy an additional 5 or sell five back to my employer, in return for increased salary.

Im not sure what the statutory holiday quota is in the UK. My 27 days didnt, of course, include public holidays.

Uncertain

bendix wrote: »

Im not sure what the statutory holiday quota is in the UK. My 27 days didnt, of course, include public holidays.

Statutory is 28 days which may include bank holidays. There is no special legal right attached to a bank holiday - even Christmas day.

As stated it would be illegal for a firm to pay you not to be away on any of these 28 days. They can do whatever you mutually agree regarding any additional holiday which in your case appears to be 7 days - so no problem.

That is 27 days annual + 8 bank holidays making 35 LESS the 28 required by law leaving you 7 to negotiate!

bendix

Useful info, thanks Uncertain.

I didnt realise there are only 8 public holidays in the UK - here in HK we get anything from 14-17 per annum, depending on the day of the week certain lunar holidays occur.

Makes me how we get any work done.