Holiday entitlement query

tempsc

Hi all and Happy New Year. 

I have two queries that I hope I can get some assistance with.

1. I work In Norfolk but I'm employed by a Scottish company. HR are telling me that I am bound to accept Scottish holiday entitlements that have less public holidays and as the office in Scotland has a less generous entitlement than I have previously had here in Norfolk, they have 'adjusted' my days to bring in line with theirs. This doesn't feel right to me but would like to be 100% certain before I challenge this situation. 

2. Company advised that I should make a written request to carry over of max 5 days leave. I had no response to the request I made but on checking entitlement for this year today it isn't showing as having been carried over. If there was no response or refusal received from my employer before end of year how does this situation lie now?

Thanks for any clear advice in advance.

emmajones1976

Scotland has MORE bank holidays than England, not LESS, is this a typo?

General_Grant

tempsc said:

Hi all and Happy New Year. 

I have two queries that I hope I can get some assistance with.

1. I work In Norfolk but I'm employed by a Scottish company. HR are telling me that I am bound to accept Scottish holiday entitlements that have less public holidays and as the office in Scotland has a less generous entitlement than I have previously had here in Norfolk, they have 'adjusted' my days to bring in line with theirs. This doesn't feel right to me but would like to be 100% certain before I challenge this situation. 

2. Company advised that I should make a written request to carry over of max 5 days leave. I had no response to the request I made but on checking entitlement for this year today it isn't showing as having been carried over. If there was no response or refusal received from my employer before end of year how does this situation lie now?

Thanks for any clear advice in advance.

1(a)  I thought Scotland had more not fewer public holidays.  They had the New Year Day bank holiday way before we did in England and Wales, which was 1974.  They now have two days at the beginning of the year whereas E&W has just one.

1(b)  Have you changed employer?

2  Was your request in writing?  Made via an on-line application?  If you have proof of the application (screenshot or whatever), it helps in your chasing this up with the company.  They could agree retrospectively.

tempsc

Hi and thanks to you both for yr comments.

 I was informed that this (Scotland having less than England) was the reason for my entitlement being reduced. Having said that, I have a contract which clearly states i have 33 days incl public/local holidays. This was issued to me by my previous employer which was acquired by my current employer. I assume this contract remains valid. For info, this was issued by a Scottish company but the same circumstances applied then as they do now, where I work in England. 

Yes, I wrote (emailed) requesting the  carry over of unused leave. Is this sufficient and isn't the obligation on them to respond?

Many thanks.

emmajones1976

You need to query their statement that Scotland has less bank holidays than England, as quite frankly that is bull on their part.

In a normal year, Scotland has the same ones England does, in addition to an extra TWO - a second one in January (usually the 2nd Jan, this year it falls today) and also the 30th November. The August one is also early August rather than late August (although that doesnt change the number)

biscan25

Are you sure that they are not saying: Contractually you get 33 days total, in England this would be 8 days BH, 25 days annual leave, so because in Scotland there are 10 days BH, your annual leave will be reduced to 23 to give the same total (and you get to have the extra Scottish BHs off)?

getmore4less

Cut to the important bit

Is the 33 days total changing?

Upsidedownandaround

They almost certainly mean that you get the same amount of actual holidays of 33 days but because there are more public holidays in Scotland you have less annual leave that is down to you own discretion to take given that you now have extra public holidays.

e.g previously your 33 days annual leave was 8 public holidays and 25 days at you own discretion but it is now 23 days at your own discretions and 10 public holidays. 

tempsc

getmore4less said:

Cut to the important bit

Is the 33 days total changing?

Hi. Yes it would appear so. When I checked the online booking system it stated my entitlement was 29 days. I haven't queried this yet, hence wanting to get a handle on the facts before I do.