Union's jubilee holiday appeal to city bosses

EMPLOYERS in the Bristol area are being urged to make sure that workers do not miss out on the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June.

Most firms will be giving staff an extra day's paid leave on Tuesday, June 5 so they can enjoy the festivities to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's reign.

But the South West TUC is concerned that some bosses will treat it as a normal working day and expect their staff to turn up for work as normal.

Meanwhile, employers in the region say the issue needs a sense of proportion to keep the economy on track.

Nigel Costley, South West TUC regional secretary, told the Evening Post: "I think there will be a sense of shock by most people that there are some employers who are prepared to do this.

"While we appreciate that most employers will want their staff to take part in this national day of celebration, there are some who will twist it in order to keep people in work.

"Our experience is that this kind of trick doesn't work in the long run because staff will say to themselves that they won't give their all for the firm and look to move on."

Gerry Jones, chairman of the Institute of Directors South West, said: "I think that every employee deserves time off but we need to balance that with keeping the economy running.

"Each employer will know if they can afford to add this holiday to those contracted.

"So if they can afford it and it won't damage the business they should reward their employees with the day off."

The legal position depends on what is written in a worker's contract of employment.

Some contracts state that an employee will receive four weeks' annual holiday per year plus bank and public holidays – or inclusive of bank holidays – sometimes referred to as statutory days.

If this is the case, then any newly-declared bank holidays, such as the Diamond Jubilee, should be included within this clause.

But some contracts simply state that the employee is entitled to 5.6 weeks' annual holiday inclusive of bank and public holidays.

In this case, if the employee wishes to take leave on the additional bank holiday, they will have to take it as holiday.

Sometimes the contract is more specifically drafted and refers to each bank or public holiday by name such as Christmas Day and Good Friday, so the extra bank holiday will not be provided for.

The TUC says a significant number of employers forced staff to work or take annual leave on the Royal Wedding bank holiday last April, causing needless ill-will among staff.

For people having to work over the Diamond Jubilee weekend, such as emergency services staff, the TUC believes that their employers should offer them an extra day's leave as well as their contracted overtime pay.

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