Bank Holidays and Days off...

[becks5109]

I work a 4 day week and Thursdays is my regular day off - I've just noticed that both Xmas Day and New Years Day fall on a Thursday next time - would that mean I am entitled to 2 extra days off as those are my unpaid days off????

I've got exactly the same working week as you becks, so will check and see.

Oh, just looked at 2009 calendar and Xmas day and NY day are Fridays...

Thanks Katiechops- but I'm thinking end of this year as Xmas Day is a Thursday and then early 2009, New Years day is also a Thursday. So i'm thinking will they owe me a day off because Xmas day this year is on a Thursday - do you know what they have done for you?
How do you find it having Thursdays off? Everyone thinks I'm mad and should do a Mon or Friday but I really like it! Only downside is working 4 days a week I seem to cram in 5 days work but only get paid for 4!

It depends on how your holidays are paid. There is no automatic entitlement to bank holidays so most people save their holidays to cover them unless your contract states that bank holidays are on top of your normal holidays. If that is the case then there is some debate about whether these are pro rata for part timers subject to the legal minimum holiday entitlement.

Becks - does everyone else in your office get paid days off on bank holidays or do they have to use holiday entitlement?

If you're in an office, normally people will get paid bank holidays. You are entitled to to be treated no less favourably. This normally means that you will get pro rata bank holidays.

You then have to go through the year and work out whether you end up taking more than your entitlement by virtue of the days you work. So, for example, you will be entitled to 80% of a full timer. This is 6.5 days of bank holidays. Only 6 bank holidays will fall on Monday - Wednesday and Friday this year, so you should probably be credited a half day.

It can work the other way too. Someone who doesn't work Monday will normally not have enough bank holiday entitlement to cover all the bank holidays, so may need to use some from normal holiday. A lot of people choose to come in an extra day during the week of the bank holiday to avoid that.

I do a 4 day week and basically it is as RB says - I get an extra 6.5 days holiday on top of my normal 20 days, but I then have to take every bank holiday as a vacation. when my day off is on a bank holiday I usually take off the day next to it, but accept that it is a days' holiday I am taking in effect...

thanks everyone - I think I have probably got the right entitlement as I do get paid for bank hols and they did mention something a while ago about pro rating the bank hols. I had a week of compassionate leave recently when my mum died so don't think I'll pester them about a possible 1/2 day owed as compassionate leave is usually only a few days so I guess they were generous for that.

I've been wondering the same thing. I do a 3 day week - mon tues weds. My office is closed thurs and fri of Xmas week and the 31st 1st and 2nd the week after. As I normally have thurs and fri off anyway, am I entitled to some extra days. We don't have to take the bank hols out of our holiday entitlement and the extra days (31st and 2nd) are "gifts" so the full time staff aren't having to use their holiday entitlement. Where do I stand?