Working on public holiday retail

tricia345

I am working in retail as weekend staff, saturdays and sundays only. My contract says that all weekend staff has contractual liability to work on public holidays. For me, I understand it that I am obliged to work on bank holiday if its saturday or sunday but can I be forced to work on public holidays if it's monday or tuesday? It doesn't specify all public holidays, just say public holidays. Is it possible then I can be forced to work on public holiday eg. on Wednesday if it's not the day for which I am contracted.

jobbingmusician

That wouldn't be how I would read it. Your contract is for Sats and Suns. You have to work these regardless of whether they are normal days or public holidays. That's it. You have no obligation to work on other days.

tricia345

That's how I understand it also but speaking with others I got afraid that I can be forced to work any day like Monday or Tuesday if it's public holiday.. it would seem strange to me though

ohreally

tricia345 wrote: »

can be forced to work on public holiday eg. on Wednesday

What P/H falls on a Wed?

Merlin139

ohreally wrote: »

What P/H falls on a Wed?

Boxing Day 2018 for one!

getmore4less

I suspect despite that BH clause there will be other clauses where they can ask you to work other hours and that will include other days.

Employers can't make you do anything.

Takeaway_Addict

getmore4less wrote: »

I suspect despite that BH clause there will be other clauses where they can ask you to work other hours and that will include other days.

Employers can't make you do anything.

This is true but employers also can't be forced to keep you employed...

macman

How can you have a bank holiday on a Saturday or Sunday? The term, 'bank holiday weekend' simply refers to a weekend with an extra public holiday attached to it, on the Monday and/or Friday.

jobbingmusician

macman wrote: »

How can you have a bank holiday on a Saturday or Sunday? The term, 'bank holiday weekend' simply refers to a weekend with an extra public holiday attached to it, on the Monday and/or Friday.

Easter day would be a day when most employees might expect their workplace to be shut. Christmas day/boxing day might fall on a Sunday. On any of these days, the employer is saying they expect the employee to work as required.

Owain_Moneysaver

Christmas Day might be very busy in retail; even if the shop is shut the stock has to be marked down for the Boxing Day sale.

It seems logical to me that the employer wants their weekend staff to be available on other days when the usual staff is unavailable or insufficient. You might not think it's reasonable but it's in the terms of employment which you are deemed to have agreed to when you took the job.

TELLIT01

The only situations which are likely to have a bearing on somebody who is only contracted to work Saturday and Sunday is if Boxing Day or New Years Day fall at the weekend. I'll leave Christmas Day out of it as the vast majority of places don't open Christmas Day.
I seen nothing to suggest that the OP can be made to work other days of the week.