I've just been told I can't work the week before christmas.. and I need the money

[keeplaughing]

Can anyone help with this?. I work for a v large UK organisation and am on contract as an agency worker. I've been there 20 months and contract renewed 4 times to date. I've already been told I cannot work between christmas and new year and today that no contractors are allowed to work the week before christmas. Can I challenge this?? I'm desparate, single parent and need the pay or can't make my mortgage in Jan.

So can you take the time as holiday? Do you get your holiday paid each week/month or paid when you take it?

If you are an agency worker you are an employee of the agency no? As an employee of the agency you are entitled to holiday pay. Can you not take annual leave that week?

You have no employment contract with the place where you work so you can't challenge their decision. No work is no work. However, since 1st October 2011 new regulations for agency workers came into force. Whether you have rights under these changes depends. They're so new they've not yet been tested by common law.

What is happening to the employees of the place where you work? Are they expected to be in work those weeks at Christmas or are they all on enforced holiday?

Can the agency not find you anything else for that week? Have you asked them?

As a contractor -In or out IR35? Are the AWR applicable? What is you employment staus?

IR35 only applies to people using Ltd companies to work through and in any case doesn't affect if the company pays you holiday if you're set up this way.

Defo need to speak to your agency not the company.