Furloughed employees gaining time off in lieu for bank holidays?

[IllegalFred]

My husband's company has just announced it it intending to furlough some of their workforce and will top up their pay to 95%. They've also stated that those workers who are furloughed over the bank holidays will gain those days as additional annual leave.

Can anyone advise why this would be the case? It seems a bit bizarre. Although some staff work bank holidays currently, it's not a normal working day, i.e. you volunteer to work it and get additional time off in lieu at a later date.

From what I read you accrue holidays in the same way whilst on furlough as you would whilst working. So if your contract reads 20 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays then you would not be able to use the bank holidays whist on furlough so would carry them forward. Our contracts state 31 days holiday, bank holidays are not differentiated.

We are a bit worried as over the last 12 months a lot of overtime has been worked due to some major contratcs that have now come to an end. As a company we can afford to pay the 80% of the standard working week for the next few weeks until the grant comes through (the portal will be ready end of April but no indication how long claims will take), but if we have to pay 80% of average wages over the last year I'm not sure the money will last until we get it through.

Wow, just wow! Please be a bit more grateful that you can go out to work every day.

Being furloughed is not fun, or some extended holiday. There is a real risk to income and still no guarantee that there is a job by the end of this. I am sure, the people who are working, will either have the Easter weekend off or they are on a shift rota, in either case they have some time off work honouring the bank holidays. (Even if its very restricted).

Wow, just wow! Please be a bit more grateful that you can go out to work every day.

I work every day as I'm self employed so I don't get paid if i don't work.

This is my husband's company, it's fair to say they're feeling a little bit miffed at the moment after being told that they're now expected to work the two Easter bank holidays for two days annual leave whilst the people who are at home receiving 95% of their pay, will not be working and will also receive 2 days annual leave. This is not some small company trying to survive, it's a multi billion dollar corporation who are looking to save some money (at the government's expense!)

” it's fair to say they're feeling a little bit miffed at the moment after being told that they're now expected to work the two Easter bank holidays for two days annual leave whilst the people who are at home receiving 95% of their pay, will not be working and will also receive 2 days annual leave.”

But what do you expect the company to do? They can’t take the leave entitlement away from furloughed employees without risking all sorts of legal claims, as things stand. What would you like them to do instead? Give everyone else more holiday?