Working Bank Holiday

[Mobius1]

I've recently started my first job but found myself working on Good Friday.

I didn't get paid overtime or extra for this, just my normal hourly rate but I will instead be given Tuesday off work, paid as normal.

I work in an electrical wholsaler, but I'm not sure of my rights in this situation, and don't recall anything specific in my contract of employment that mentioned that I would or wouldn't get paid extra for working a bank holiday.

Where can I get information on this or does anybody know if I've been taken for a ride or if this is normal?

[gammaray]

A day off in lieu is normal. Your employer is not obliged to pay extra for working a bank holiday but by the same token can not, under normal circumstances, force you to work it.

[Buenchico]

Your employer seems quite generous to me. Although I'm now self-employed my last employed position was in the rail industry. Bank holidays were 'just another day' (i.e. normal pay and with no time off in lieu).

Bank holidays have no legal status as far as employment law is concerned. Employers are not obliged to give their staff the day off. Neither are they obliged to pay extra or give a day off in lieu. So, if your employer has allowed you a day off in lieu, then you've been treated very generously.

Personally, I'd like to see the abolition of 'bank holidays'. Of course I'm not advocating that anyone's total annual holiday allowance should be reduced but I see no reason why everyone should expect to have the same days off. Public holidays are an out-dated concept and they should be consigned to the scrap heap.

Chris

[paddy_36]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but (for the first time!) I have to disagree with Chris/Buenchico. Firstly, given the business hours of most companies and organisations, a few days a year where everything shuts down is no bad thing. Are you also advocating scrapping Christmas as a public holiday?

Secondly, I work for a local authority which has scrapped all but two Monday holidays. The scrapped ones have been added to employees' holiday entitlements. It's getting increasingly difficult to honour annual leave requests because employees have so much leave to take, and adequate staffing levels still have to be maintained to keep services functioning properly.

Thirdly, I'm not sure that people 'expect' to have the same day off. However, it is sometimes reassuring to know that you have a day off, secure in the knowledge that work is not piling up on your desk in your absence because no-one else is in to put it there!