Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to announce an extra bank holiday on Friday 24th July if England win the World Cup final on Sunday 19th July. While there is currently no confirmed plan for an extra bank holiday, employers may wish to consider the potential implications now rather than waiting for a last-minute announcement.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to announce an extra bank holiday on Friday 24th July if England win the World Cup final on Sunday 19th July.
While there is currently no confirmed plan for an extra bank holiday, employers may wish to consider the potential implications now rather than waiting for a last-minute announcement.
Will this apply to all employees?
An extra bank holiday in England would not apply to all employees and will depend on the wording of the employee’s contract of employment. If the contract says 20 days’ annual leave plus 8 bank holidays or 28 days’ annual leave including bank holidays, then employees wouldn’t automatically be entitled to the extra bank holiday off work. If the contract says 20 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, then the employee would have the right to the extra bank holiday off and will also receive full pay.
Of course, employers can always choose to give their employees the extra day off, although this must be done fairly to avoid the risk of potential discrimination claims.
Do employers have to pay extra for those working?
Additional pay for bank holidays is usually discretionary, unless it is stated in the employee’s contract of employment or annual leave policy.
Again, if employers do choose to pay those working the bank holiday extra, this should be offered to all employees to avoid any disputes.
Would part-time staff be entitled to the extra bank holiday?
Part-time staff have the same rights to bank holidays as full time employees. But as annual leave and bank holiday entitlements for part-time staff are based on the hours they work, this would need to be calculated pro-rata.
Even without an official bank holiday, employers are likely to experience increased absence levels or late starts after the World Cup final on Sunday.