To celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, the Bank Holiday weekend will be moved to Thursday 2 June, and an additional day will be added on Friday 3 June for one long 4-day weekend. This is only the second time in Britain's history that such a long holiday has been granted. However, this change doesn't result in any additional paid time-off.
You might not have a contract that entitles you to take the extra bank holiday as paid time off, but many employers will give them at least one day off because they care about their employees. As always, the Agency Workers Regulations will apply. Although we are entitled to what's been dubbed the 'Bank Holiday Monday Plus', look at the wording of your contract. You may need to find out if you will be given time off for the day or not and how much you will be paid for it. A law firm provides the following examples:
Contractual wording Entitlement to time off on the additional bank holiday "20 days holiday per annum plus bank holidays."
Yes -Employees usually want to take a day off on any other holidays, and as the employment contract is not limited to regular bank holidays in England and Wales, they will have a right to take paid time off. As a result, anyone in England and Wales is entitled to take paid time off from work on bank holidays and public holidays.
"28 days holiday per annum"
Potentially – where the contract is silent on bank holidays, employees can book using their 28-day holiday allowance for any bank holidays, including the additional bank holiday. However, there is no increase in holiday entitlement due to the extra bank holiday.
"20 days holiday per annum plus eight bank/public holidays"
Potentially – like above, the contract is silent on which bank holidays are included within the employee's holiday entitlement. Therefore, an employee can book the additional bank holiday as paid time off in June 2022. This will, however, mean that the employee will not be entitled to one of the later bank holidays in the year. So, again, we would recommend this is clarified to the employee at the time of booking annual leave.
"20 days holiday per annum plus New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May Bank Holiday, Spring Bank Holiday, Summer Bank Holiday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day"
No – where there is a list of bank holidays contained within the contract, the employee will only be entitled to receive paid time off on those bank holidays listed (whether this list is some or all of those usually observed in England and Wales). Employees with such wording in their contract will be entitled to paid time off on 2 June 2022 as this is the date the bank holiday referred to as the "Spring Bank Holiday" has been moved too but not on 3 June 2022.
"20 days holiday per annum plus the usual bank/public holidays observed in England and Wales."
No – Employees in England and Wales are not generally entitled to take a day off on bank holidays they don't usually observe, so they would not have this additional bank holiday as paid time off.
"20 days holiday per annum plus the eight bank/public holidays usually observed in England and Wales."
No – As mentioned above, bank holidays included within holiday entitlement are enumerated. Therefore, there is no entitlement to the additional bank holiday.