16/02/2008
Don’t bank on your holidays Holiday update
We presently have eight permanent Bank and Public Holidays in England and Wales. However, in Scotland and Northern Ireland they have ten. We are the poor relations in Europe with regard to Bank Holidays, with only Romania having fewer Bank Holidays. In Spain they have as many as sixteen Bank Holidays.
Help may be at hand as MPs are backing a bid for there to be an extra Bank Holiday in England and Wales. Although there has been no agreement as to when it should be. Current suggestions include a British Day, a day off for Saint David’s Day in Wales and St George’s Day in England, a Diana Day, a British Forces Day and even a Beatles Day.
However be aware that there is no entitlement for workers to have a holiday from work on a Bank Holiday. Any right to time off or extra pay on Bank Holidays depends on the terms of the contract of employment.
There has been good news this week for workers on long term sick, who currently lose out on their holiday entitlement. The European Court has now indicated that workers in the UK should continue to accrue their paid holiday entitlement whilst they are on sick leave. However, they should not be entitled to take their holiday whilst on sick leave. Also, after the termination of their contract they should be entitled to payment of untaken holiday leave, even if they have been on sick leave for a full holiday year. Their final decision is expected shortly.
|
|
