Employers and employees should be aware of their rights when it comes to public holidays, the BFA has warned.
There will be an additional public holiday this year and in 2012. The additional day for 2011 is 29 April for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, while the additional day for 2012 is on 5 June to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
As for how this affects annual leave, where an employment contract states a total number of days of holiday entitlement per year inclusive of Bank Holidays – i.e. an employee working five days a week would have 28 days per year (pro rata for part time employees) - employers would be within their rights to advise employees that the extra day’s public holiday is not included in the allowance and must be taken from their annual leave.
However, where the employment contract states the annual holiday entitlement is plus bank holidays these employees are entitled to an additional day off with pay.
