7 January 2011

The Royal Wedding 29th April 2011 - Guidance Notes

The issue of the 'additional' public holiday is vexing a large number of employers and essentially, it all boils down to the employees' contractual entitlement.

Holiday entitlement in the UK is regulated by the Working Time Regulations, which is set at 5.6 weeks paid annual leave and capped at 28 days and is not in addition to public holidays.

there is actually no statutory right to take public holidays and whether or not an employee/worker is entitled to be off work on a public holiday is a matter determined by their contract. However, custom and practice has set an expectation that is now difficult to undo at most companies.

If therefore, their contract entitles the worker to xx days holiday INCLUSIVE of bank/public holidays, then the additional day ( Royal Wedding) will have no effect on the overall entitlement. If, the contract entitles the worker to xx days holiday PLUS bank and public holidays, they will be contractually entitled to the additional day.

Members will need to notify all staff of their entitlement to the additional day's leave as soon as possible and as there is likely to be a significant demand to take leave in the three days between the two long four day weekends in April, you will need to have a policy in place for allocating or approving applications and in dealing with any part timers who would not normally work on a Friday. They will qualify for the additional day on a pro rata basis.

( It may also fall into some school holidays for certain areas and you might wish to check this ahead of the date in your area).

The important thing here is that most members are seeing this potential additional day as a real cost to the business. They need to make plans as early as possible to manage the expectations of their staff and not allow them to assume full  entitlement.

Note: Members who follow the Partnership At Work Agreement must remember that under the 'Holidays Agreement' the impending Royal Wedding Day would allow employees to take this day off work:

**Bank Holidays - Partnership At Work Agreement - (Page 44) Members shall be entitled to the following Bank Holidays, at their normal wage: Christmas Day, BoxingDay, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring and Late Summer and any National Holidays declared as such by Royal Proclamation.

Note: There will also be another Royal Proclamation day in 2012 celebrating the Queen's Jubilee. The government has agreed to grant an additional bank holiday on Tuesday 5 June 2012 to provide a focal point for the celebrations. In addition, the traditional Bank Holiday at the end of May will, in 2012, be moved to 4 June to make it a four day weekend.