Christmas closure and maternity leave

[Woodlandelf]

Hi,

I have a quick question regarding holiday during maternity leave, which I hope someone can answer!

I get 33 days per year, which I know I'm still entitled to during my maternity leave and my employers recognise this, so no problem there. However, the offices also close between Christmas and New Year, giving us an extra few days leave. The 33 days appears in my contract, but this extra bit doesn't (it was mentioned in my initial offer letter that the office closes, but I've changed jobs/contracts since then).

As I'll be on maternity leave over Christmas this year, do I have any right to this additional holiday still, or do I just lose it? Additionally - if I do, can anyone point me in the direction of an official source that can back this up, in case anyone disagrees?

Wx

They are usually classed as bank holidays. How many days in addition to the 33 days are there? Usually people have to take 2 or 3 out of the allocation to be used over Christmas and NY - and added to the Bank Hols it means you get a week and a half ish off.

The 33 days includes bank holidays, so 25th, 26th and nyd will be counted in this so I would get those anyway. I think this year it would be 3 extra, 28,29,30 December.

Thanks.

Yes and the extra are usually taken out of your annual leave. So they ask you to retain 3 from your 33 days to be used at Christmas.

OP, you need to find out the exact nature of that closure time. Is it annual leave or public service 'privilege days' (ie, you actually have 36 days leave allowance, 3 of which are enforced at that time). In that case, I think you must be entitled to that time, just like everybody else.

On the other hand, it might be "accrued leave". We have a local arrangement whereby we work 37.5 hours a week, though my employer stipulates a 37 hour working week. It adds up to allow the Christmas closure,mans we don't have to use our leave allowances. If that's your situation, your employer might reasonably argue that you aren't entitled to the time (or only a proportion of it) because you haven't accrued it all.

Sorry I might not have been completely clear - we get 33 days (25 + bh if you work Mon-fri like me) and in addition to this the office closes over Christmas without us using any of our holiday allowance (so this year for example we will get 36 days, but this will vary depending on when Christmas falls). My contract says 33 days. We usually get an email a week or two before with the Xmas closure - but in practice we know when it will be as it's always been the same. We don't have to work any extra hours to earn it.

Wx

do you have a union to ask? our offices do similar n apparently it is an agreed thing even tho not on contract, so not just 'goodwill'

No, I don't think you'd get them. We close on Hogmanay at lunchtime usually, so whoever's in goes home. But if you took a full days holiday, you wouldn't get half a day back.

I got mine added on to my annual leave, but they were written in to my contract.

We don't have a union - don't even have HR! Our payroll clerk has answered some of my questions, but he sometimes gets things wrong, especially more complicated questions like this one, do I'd rather check where I stand before mentioning it!

I think as it is unofficial then you won't get it. I never gave anyone any extra time when on Maternity when we closed for things like this, or problems with water, heating etc. Likewise no-one ever asked for it either