| I've heard a lot of misconceptions about what | | | | service industries. Basically, the change to |
| the new UK employee holiday entitlement laws | | | | minimum holiday entitlement means that anyone |
| will involve, so here I shall do my best to | | | | who is currently failing to get the bare |
| explain who is affected, and what the changes | | | | minimum of 24 days off (including bank |
| to the law mean for businesses in the United | | | | holidays) will be given four more to play |
| Kingdom. | | | | with by law, while those who already get 24 |
| | | | or more will see no change to their holiday |
| Firstly, before you (or your employees) go | | | | entitlement, in all likelihood. But those who |
| out and start celebrating, it should be | | | | are expected to work bank holidays in those |
| pointed out that the laws, which increase the | | | | industries do have extra holiday to look |
| number of paid statutory holidays employees | | | | forward to: their employers will have to |
| are entitled to from 20 to 24, are unlikely | | | | provide 24 days holiday, rising to 28 in |
| to be of much benefit to the vast majority of | | | | 2009. Having to give each employee this extra |
| business workers. This is because the changes | | | | time is going to affect retail, hospitality |
| to the holiday entitlement law are mainly to | | | | and service industries a great deal and they |
| tie up the loop hole that some employers were | | | | may find themselves needing to hire extra |
| using which meant that the United Kingdom's 8 | | | | members of staff to supply backup for when |
| annual public holidays could come out of | | | | the existing workers take out their allocated |
| employee's paid holiday allowance. In 2009, | | | | holiday time. |
| the number is due to increase to 28 days to | | | | |
| allow the standard 20 days minimum holiday | | | | I've heard a lot of the United Kingdom's |
| entitlement in addition to the 8 public | | | | workers are getting very excited about the |
| holidays for all workers in the United | | | | changes to the employee holiday entitlement |
| Kingdom. | | | | law, because of the commonly accepted urban |
| | | | myth that workers are guaranteed public |
| So the good news for employers is that, | | | | holidays on top of their 20 day statutory |
| unless you've been scrimping on paid holiday | | | | paid holiday allowance. The truth is that |
| entitlement anyway, you won't need to change | | | | there is nothing in the law about this, and |
| the way your business operates. So who will | | | | employers who previously did give their |
| it affect? Well according to the Employment | | | | workers additional bank holiday entitlement |
| relations minister, Pat McFadden, around six | | | | were either doing it as an act of good will, |
| million workers in the United Kindom. But | | | | or were unaware that the law would have |
| where are they all? | | | | protected them until the 1st October. It |
| | | | really is great news for those estimated six |
| Well, the majority of the United Kingdom's | | | | million workers who currently don't get very |
| work force who are affected are likely to be | | | | much holiday, but the majority of the country |
| found in sectors that are required to work | | | | is, sadly for them, unaffected. |
| bank holidays, namely hospitality, retail and | | | | |