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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Work cancelling annual leave

83 replies

y0rkier0se · 14/10/2019 21:17

DP works for the Civil Service. He has a week of work booked off over Christmas, and we’ve booked and paid for a cottage for that week. He’s apparently been told today that if Brexit goes ahead on 31st October, all annual leave over Christmas will be cancelled. Does anyone know where we stand on this? Can’t afford to lose £900 on the cottage and don’t see why we should! It’s been booked for nearly a year. Don’t even think travel insurance would cover this Sad

OP posts:
Gillian1980 · 14/10/2019 21:58

DH has had to cancel over 50% of his leave this year (his runs jan-jan) due to EU / Brexit nonsense. He’s booked 3 weeks over Christmas to attempt to use leave.... can’t see him actually getting it all.
He is a CS btw.

CornishCreation · 14/10/2019 22:01

I'd just go on the holiday, it's done then if they moan about it then they moan it's too late to do much about it after. Their moaning won't last forever. Or he can go off sick that week?

Justmuddlingalong · 14/10/2019 22:01

Have you checked your insurance policy in the off chance you can claim?

rainingallday · 14/10/2019 22:03
Confused
jayho · 14/10/2019 22:03

I'm a CS and have received this warning and given it to my team consistently since the first exit date was give. Unfortunately, it's part of the uncertainty around what Brexit will mean in real terms.

However, we are also acknowledging that we will seek to allocate any extra task out in a fair manner and take into account family circumstances.

Do you have insurance? If so, it might be worth asking your insurer if this cancellation would be considered as force majeur. To use a French expression that will probably be banned in the not too distant future.

MrsGrindah · 14/10/2019 22:04

It might be a bit more than moaning..possibly disciplinary action. Plus he’d piss off all his colleagues who might also have their plans scuppered. And going sick is just twattish behaviour

y0rkier0se · 14/10/2019 22:04

Doesn’t help that DP is very much of the “whatever happens happens, it’ll all be fine” mindset Hmm Roll on 31st to find out the outcome!

OP posts:
y0rkier0se · 14/10/2019 22:06

He wouldn’t just take it off sick, we have a mortgage to pay and couldn’t afford for him to lose his job. A rubbish situation - sorry to hear so many of you and your DPs have also been affected by this over the last year Sad

OP posts:
MyDcAreMarvel · 14/10/2019 22:06

Civil service leave is usually birthday to birthday.

MyDcAreMarvel · 14/10/2019 22:07

Nobody in the civil service has their leave running from their birthday!
The entire dept my dh works in is birthday to birthday.

MyDcAreMarvel · 14/10/2019 22:09

Op as rubbish as it is it’s only to be expected.

itsboiledeggsagain · 14/10/2019 22:09

Yes I agree it would be a disciplinary matter to go anyway.

I love the way that people state to be fact what is not true and are so confident. "no one's AL runs birthday to birthday" "everyone's AL runs birthday to birthday" - how about just some???

Biscuitsdisappear · 14/10/2019 22:17

Put in a claim, you will most likely be reimbursed. I wouldn't be spending that much money on a holiday anywhere without taking out insurance.

Moreisnnogedag · 14/10/2019 22:18

Most public sector places can (and do) cancel holidays. What’s more scary is that the notice is usually only twice the length of annual leave (so if i take a week annuals leave, they can cancel up to two weeks before it).

I cannot imagine they’d refund you any monies though. But its HMRC so maybe. Did you pay for it on credit card? They sometimes have protection, or if you have travel insurance through your bank you could ask them.

feelinghelplesstoday · 14/10/2019 22:19

@y0rkier0se it's going to be a nightmare when they all try to take leave in February 😢. Mines HO and if I have to hear another sodding conference call on brexit planning I swear I'll lose my shit 😂. I used to love him working from home now I hate it x

SpringFan · 14/10/2019 22:19

Oh whoops. DC2 has just joined HMRC, so looks like a fun christmas ahead!
Regarding the holiday year- DH's departmental leave year was related to the individual's birthday, mine was May to April. Obviously it varies from Dept to dept which makes sense in a lot of ways.

y0rkier0se · 14/10/2019 22:20

We do have travel insurance so I’ll try them if it does definitely get cancelled, not sure it’ll be covered though as I think it stipulates reasons for cancellation being medical, it definitely said it didn’t cover “acts of God” although Brexit definitely doesn’t fall under that!

OP posts:
Moreisnnogedag · 14/10/2019 22:21

My work (NHS) will either carry across annual leave or pay you for it if they haven’t allowed you to take it due to operational reasons.

19lottie82 · 14/10/2019 22:22

It would be reasonable to submit a claim for the costs of the holiday etc.

It really wouldn't. Unfortunately, legally, they haven’t done anything wrong.

RhiWrites · 14/10/2019 22:26

He needs to ask his line manager about the fact a leave cancellation will leave him £900 out of pocket. He should ask to see the relevant policy in writing.

BritInUS1 · 14/10/2019 22:30

Also if it does happen and you are going to lose the money, speak to the company, as it's over Christmas they should be able to relet easy enough so might reimburse you some of the fee under the circumstances

travailtotravel · 14/10/2019 22:44

Another DH in the mire here. Defra, with leave running from May. He's had no such notification that this might happen and we went away while the other deadline was ongoing. And his job is Brexit planning related. We are in it if they cancel - 2.5 weeks away in the far east. Waaay more than 900 quid worth. I'll be well pissed off if we get shafted by this as well as shafted by Mr Johnson.

cdtaylornats · 14/10/2019 22:53

Everywhere I've worked it has been in the contract that they could cancel leave, but had to allow it to be taken by the end of the leave year and would refund any costs incurred.

Your DH should ask if he should just fill in a normal expense forms for the incidental expenses.

Streamside · 14/10/2019 22:54

I work for a public body and they don't allow any new leave to be booked over the Brexit period but are honouring any which has been pre booked.

AnneElliott · 14/10/2019 22:54

He needs to discuss it with his line manager. I wouldn't do this to any of mine unless it was an absolute emergency- and even then I'd try and find someone else who hadn't actually booked a holiday.

Has the rest of the team been told the same?

I am aware of other departments that do the Birthday month thing, but I think most are phasing that out as too complete administer.