Annual leave notice

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My manager has recently said we now need to give 2 weeks notice to take a shift off. This is in fact 2 days as it’s overnight until the next day. We used to have to give 3 days notice.
This isn’t an official company policy but she said she has been allowed to put it in as protocol? I haven’t signed it and she isn’t that happy.
I don’t quite understand how this is allowed or should it be allowed? Tia

I have to give 6 weeks notice.

Am employer is free to dictate when you take your annual leave, as long as you are given the opportunity to take it. Equally they are able to dictate the terms upon which AL is granted.

Seems reasonable to me.
Not signing new Ts&Cs does not stop them from applying to you. If you don't hand in your resignation when you are told the new Ts&Cs then you are deemed to have acquiesced.

As the PP stated, not signing a document doesn't mean it doesn't apply to you - by turning up for work you have accepted the (what seem fairly reasonable to me) conditions.

Are you worried about taking leave at short notice?

I have been told by my union that any changes in policy needs full consultation. A manager cannot just make up their own policy. The official policy is one weeks notice which I don’t have a problem with.
I am wondering what therefore a “protocol “ means? I have been told by my own manager that it isn’t a policy.
No one else in the service has had a protocol drawn up, I do sign official policies and procedures but don’t feel that this applies.

Does your manager have to cover you if you're off?

I really don't see an issue with having to give notice for annual leave. We basically put ours in months in advance to ensure we get it all.

I am sure if you desperately needed a day off for something short notice it would be discussed??

Hi
No she doesn’t have to cover, my point is surely you have to follow the policy of the company. Not produce a scrappy bit of paper that you have cobbled together and expect the group you manage to have double the notice for annual leave, when others in the same department with a different manager are following the policy and procedures.

OK now you are making a bit more sense. Is there an HR dept you can query this with?

Yes we have a HR dept and my unison rep wants to know the source. I’m a little wary to get the union involved though did take some initial advice as want to try and keep things low key.

Yeah involving the union rep could be a bit confrontational.

I recommend a polite enquiry to HR asking whether in their view it is reasonable that people reporting to manager A only have to give 1 week's notice for AL requests as per standard Ts&Cs but those reporting to manager B now have to give 2 week's notice, and this apparent change of Ts&Cs for some workers but not others seems to have been imposed unilaterally without consultation so you would like them to please confirm whether this is all in accordance with company policy.

One would hope they will then swoop in and tell your manager they can't do that, but the polite and nonconfrontational phrasing makes sure you don't get labeled as a troublemaker if the official policy does have a line about individual managers being free to add their own procedures for getting leave approved.

Thank you will get in touch with them tomorrow

Consider yourself lucky.

The law states that the minimum notice period shall be twice the period of the holiday, so if you want a week off,its minimum two weeks notice.

Having said that, the employer can then give notice for you not to take a holiday Ii.e refuse)

Further Employers can tell YOU when to take a holiday i,e you have no choice in the matter.