Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Moving the May Bank Holiday. Will this cause you inconvenience?

426 replies

Whatjusthappenedthere · 09/06/2019 10:37

I work Mondays. I am still paid for the Bank Holidays. I don’t work Fridays. I have already made my holiday arrangements around child care for 2020 and now unless I can take a day off unpaid my plans are now up the creek. Also my job involves a diary of clients that book up almost a year in advance so this will now also need to be sorted.
Not a happy bunny, this should have been announced at least a year in advance for people accommodate. Angry

OP posts:
LakieLady · 09/06/2019 12:15

It rather grates on me that the government aren't granting an extra day to commemorate the huge sacrifices made in WW2, but were happy to give one for a royal wedding.

Shows where their priorities lie.

Original poster
Whatjusthappenedthere · 09/06/2019 12:15

Clearly it’s my military background that has made me an obsessive planner. It’s been said before. Blush

OP posts:
maggienolia · 09/06/2019 12:17

I work Monday and not Friday so the only difference to me is that I'm paid at normal rate instead of BH rate. So lose about £15

Compared to what people in the war lost it doesn't seem that important really.

LizzieSiddal · 09/06/2019 12:17

It’s about the short notice not the reason

Ok but you have to realise that 11 months notice is not “short notice.”

You complaining about how inconvenient the move is for you, despite your involvement in the armed services, just comes across as being incredibly disrespectful.

soulrider · 09/06/2019 12:19

So book a day off unpaid!

It's not an issue of not having enough leave for me, it's an issue of getting leave approved. I'd never risk booking a holiday before having leave approved. For the OH especially, it's not as simple as putting in a leave request and having it approved.

NannyKasey · 09/06/2019 12:20

I hope there’s also a Bank Holiday on 15 August 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VJ Day. That always seems to get overlooked.

15th August 2020 is a Saturday.

C8H10N4O2 · 09/06/2019 12:21

Correct. The people who always work Fridays and not Mondays see you having bank holiday Mondays off all year round. Then finally they benefit and you're like a bear with a sore arse

If part timers who don't normally work on Mondays are not getting pro rata'd bank hols their employers are behaving illegally. Nobody should be losing out financially because a bank holiday moves.

The preps for VE day next eyar have been in plan for several years so the late change to the bank holiday completely unnecessary.

It may not be an issue for your personal circumstances but it is for businesses which plan events much further out than 12 months and for individuals planning big events around a bank holiday weekend.

multivac · 09/06/2019 12:23

Ok but you have to realise that 11 months notice is not “short notice.”

It absolutely is if you are any kind of event planner; can you not understand that?

LarryGreysonsDoor · 09/06/2019 12:25

11 months notice is not “short notice

Many people book wedding further in advance than 11 months. How many of their plans might now be scuppered?

In our town there is a big annual event on that bank holiday. I expect planning has already started for it.

IgnoranceIsStrength · 09/06/2019 12:30

Huge event in my hometown always falls on the monday so it is causing problems there. Many people have already booked flights, hotels etc (according to the long Facebook rants anyway). One part of the event involves up to 10000 people coming in and I imagine many of them will already have sorted hotels and b&bs

TheBrockmans · 09/06/2019 12:30

It will only affect us if one of the children's school decided to shut that day and not the others because that would cause grumpiness.

I do think though that it should have deserved an extra day to honour the veterans and many organisations will have already planned things for the original bank holiday.

It will be a bit of a mess and will annoy people when the event should be one of celebration and goodwill. It does reflect a lack of planning and consideration. Just as well the government haven't left anything else to arrange at the last minute which is really important to do with Europe. Hmm

IgnoranceIsStrength · 09/06/2019 12:31

I should add that I don't disagree with the bh being on a friday but given that is less than a years notice they should have just awarded both. Monday and friday as bank holidays.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 09/06/2019 12:32

Talk to your boss or HR. You shouldn't lose pay over it.

Saltovinegar · 09/06/2019 12:33

Where I work only a set amount of people are allowed to be off at one time so if more than that amount of people were planning on being away and coming back on the Monday there will be a problem as not everyone will be allowed leave for the Monday.

If the government thinks it's so important to commemorate the anniversary they should have given an extra day.

I don't work Mondays and I agree there should be some sort of recognition of the date before people pile in on me but I think this hasn't been thought through.

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 09/06/2019 12:34

Many people work a short day Friday so won't get a full day off.

Friday is actually my only full day! So now I will actually be able to claim overtime to work the full day on Thursday as that will now be the “end of week” admin (which is why I work all day on Friday). Financially good for me BUT I will have to cancel my booked Friday night to Monday evening away. I work in a school so no annual leave or unpaid leave option.

More notice really would have been good. Lots of organisations will already have booked things for the “normal” bank holiday.

This is the first I’ve heard of this and I expect many people wont be aware for quite some time......

LizzieSiddal · 09/06/2019 12:41

It is not short notice

It absolutely is if you are any kind of event planner; can you not understand that?

Is the OP an event planner?

multivac · 09/06/2019 12:43

I also think it's disingenuous to talk about this in terms of 'respect', suggesting that those who have an issue with moving the date are somehow lacking understanding of our debt to the veterans.

For many individuals and organisations, the May Day bank holiday isn't just about an extra day off work, and maybe a barbecue if they are lucky. It is tied to traditions and celebrations that can go back hundreds of years - think of the Hobby Horse festivities in Padstow; Beltane in Scotland; choral singing at dawn in Oxford; Jack in the Green in multiple places etc. - and these have deep significance for the places where they are held and the people who participate. In many places, May Day is still about workers' rights, too.

Sure, I suppose it could all be moved wholesale to the Friday - but it's not that easy to change centuries of tradition, and besides, how is that supposed to commemorate or honour the veterans? Are all these annual events just supposed to be put on hold for next year? I guess the rituals of ordinary folk just don't matter...

sashh · 09/06/2019 12:43

You do know bank holidays are not compulsory don't you OP?

You won't have anyone booked on the Friday so you still take that day off, ask your clients if they want to keep the Monday appointments or rearrange.

Way back in the mists of time most of Yorkshire ignore the Good Friday holiday and took 'Easter Tuesday' instead.

Andcake · 09/06/2019 12:45

People are slowly going to be realising this over the year. I can imagine a large number of tearful brides with guests having to pull out.

It should have been an extra day - esp as the royal wedding was a few years back. But the govt are in crisis and also very out of touch with the real world.

tinytemper66 · 09/06/2019 12:45

It does cause a problem with school holidays as I booked a weekend away yesterday as I had an offer to use if I booked again with certain days only to find out when I read this thread and then googled it that indeed I have booked a holiday when I am am no longer off.
I am not critical of the reason why it has been moved but as schools publish their holidays well in advance I may not be the only teacher/school staff that will be affected.
I have a son in the Armed Services so am respectful of the reasons why.

AuchAyeTheNo · 09/06/2019 12:48

I think it’s a great idea. Some people really need to get a grip, if you can’t fix it with 11 months notice then how on earth do you cope with sick days??!!

Saltovinegar · 09/06/2019 12:48

At work we book our annual holiday leave a year in advance because it's the only way to ensure you get a full week or fortnight. If anyone has booked that week off they now have a potential problem.

Reastie · 09/06/2019 12:52

I work Fridays but not Mondays. I never benefit from bank holidays when everyone where I work who works on Mondays gets a paid day off, I don’t. It’ll be nice to have a paid bank holiday day off for a change!

calpop · 09/06/2019 12:53

I think they should have just given the extra Friday as Bank Holiday and kept the Monday. Don't we get an extra one or is ot even 2 the day the Queen dies/next coronation anyway so its hardly unprecedented. 11 months really isn't enough notice for people who work with school-aged children.

PuppyMonkey · 09/06/2019 12:54

Bloody hell, I can’t believe how many part time workers on this thread think they aren’t entitled to bank holidays because they don’t work Mondays. Do read Flowery’s post, you’re entitled to pro rata bank holidays on top of your normal AL.

I’m really struggling to understand why OP is so pissed off.Confused