Holiday Entitlement - Regarding bank holidays

dodell27

When I started working with my current employer my offer letter stated:

28 days holidays each year, inclusive of bank holidays.

However there has been a misunderstanding somewhere as I assumed that meant I had the Easter bank holidays off. Whereas I have been told we are all required to work those days due to it being a busy period. When questioning the offer letter I have been told:

The 28 days (inclusive of bank holidays) just means that Bank holiday holidays are not in addition to the holiday entitlement and therefore need to be booked as annual leave

I can understand the requirement to have people not taking holiday over busy periods, but I was unaware that also meant bank holidays were exempt and had therefore organised a trip away which i'm told I won't be allowed to take. 

Have I misunderstood the offer letter? Or would you also expect to have bank holidays off as standard?

comeandgo

I think you have misunderstood, that is a standard statement showing number of days holidays you have, not when you get them.

dodell27

comeandgo said:

I think you have misunderstood, that is a standard statement showing number of days holidays you have, not when you get them.

Ok fair enough. Guess that what happens when you spend 15 years at one place and then change jobs!

Brie

my contract gives me 25 days holidays per year exclusive of bank holidays.

colleagues in my department have 33 days holidays inclusive of bank holidays.

I can't be made to work a bank holiday but my colleagues need to book them off.  that said some they don't need to work but they still get logged as taking a holiday of out of their 33 days entitlement.

But lots of my colleagues always get surprised that they need to use holidays to cover the fact that they aren't required to work Easter Monday or New Year's Day.

Best thing to do is to go to your manager and find a compromise to allow you the time off.  Maybe you could agree to work this weekend or the weekend after Easter instead? 

dodell27

Regarding the busy period - is it reasonable to not be able to book holiday for 25% of the year?

I  understand the reasoning behind this, but it makes being able to go on holiday with my partner difficult when she is a teacher and our time off doesn't align!

comeandgo

dodell27 said:

Regarding the busy period - is it reasonable to not be able to book holiday for 25% of the year?

I  understand the reasoning behind this, but it makes being able to go on holiday with my partner difficult when she is a teacher and our time off doesn't align!

Yes, it is reasonable.  I know some employers close their business for two weeks in May and November and that’s when the staff get their holidays, they have no choice.

Andy_L

Bank holidays have no special meaning in UK employment law

An employer can totally dictate when you can take holidays providing they
a. Give you enough notice 92x the duration IIRC)
b. Let you take all of it on the year
c. can deal with staff telling them to take their job & poke it

Andy_L

Brie said:

my contract gives me 25 days holidays per year exclusive of bank holidays.

colleagues in my department have 33 days holidays inclusive of bank holidays.

I can't be made to work a bank holiday but my colleagues need to book them off.  that said some they don't need to work but they still get logged as taking a holiday of out of their 33 days entitlement.

But lots of my colleagues always get surprised that they need to use holidays to cover the fact that they aren't required to work Easter Monday or New Year's Day.

Best thing to do is to go to your manager and find a compromise to allow you the time off.  Maybe you could agree to work this weekend or the weekend after Easter instead? 

Which does mean that you are going to get the extra Jubilee BH off while they may not

General_Grant

Andy_L said:

Bank holidays have no special meaning in UK employment law

An employer can totally dictate when you can take holidays providing they
a. Give you enough notice 9(at least 2x the duration IIRC)
b. Let you take all of it on the year
c. can deal with staff telling them to take their job & poke it

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