Extra holiday entitlement...!

[WhatTheWhat]

I don't know if this is news to those on maternity leave out there, but I just found out that your employer has to add in 'missed' bank holidays on top of your normal annual leave entitlement when you return to work.
So if you're off for a full year, this will be an additional 8-days (9 days this year because of the wedding) on top of your standard leave entitlement, assuming that you get bank holidays on top of that (I think).
So if you get 25 days holiday per year, plus you would normally not work on bank holidays, then you will have accrued leave of 33 days when you go back.
Marvellous!

Really??? Do you have a link for it, that would be great if it's right!

And we wonder why businesses are closing down and the economy is going down the drain.

Hello! I talked to my employer about this yesterday. Apparently they don't have to by law to give you the bank holidays that you miss during maternity leave. It has to be company policy, it's good practice so many do but it's not an automatic entitlement. this is what my HR person said, however i'll keep eye on this thread in case there are more interesting developments!
thanks! x

I think it depends what your contract says. Mine gives me 33 days holiday, out of which I have to take the bank holidays. So since they're part of my holiday entitlement, I can have them as accrued leave when I return.

If they were discretionary leave, in addition to your contractual holiday entitlement, then they don't necessarily have to give them to you when you return.

Mine is, I get 25 days holiday a year, and bank holidays on top.

Therefore, I presume that I keep accruing bank holidays as they're part of my salary terms I guess you'd say, and therefore build them up still whilst on maternity leave?

My company has just changed from 25 days leave + BH, to 33 days leave (i.e. leave entitlement now includes BHs) so I think considering this that I will be able to take BHs as accrued leave when I go back.

Also I could be wrong but I think there is another extra BH in 2012 for the Queen's jubilee or some such?

i had heard about this, but was unsure if it was a myth. will need to check out my contract now to see what it says. is there anything about this on the Govt websites?

I know this has happened in the past where I work, but they keep changing anything that's not written down (our contracts specify very little and there are constant arguments about what is "Custom and Practice") so I'll have to watch for that - thanks.

The Queens Jubilee is changing the BHs next year - I think one of the May BHs is moving to june and an extra one is added to give a Monday & Tuesday together.

I just assumed I could take them, put them in my letter about maternity leave, and was never challenged. I don't see the difference between bank holidays and annual leave personally.

TheTruthNothingButTheTruth Yes, blame the global economic crisis on working mothers carrying over a handful of bank holidays

Unless this is a new thing I think it will depend on whether your leave is plus bank holidays or including bank holidays.