Liam Kenealy
June 28, 2019
The government has confirmed that the May Day Bank Holiday, usually held on the first Monday of May each year, in 2020 will be replaced by a public holiday on Friday 8th May, due to the 75th anniversary of VE day.
The Implications
This may affect employers depending on:
- whether the business is open on a bank holiday
- whether an employee is part time
Part Time Employees
Part time employees have a right not to be treated less favourably than comparable full-time employees, therefore annual leave must be pro-rated depending on the number of days or hours worked.
An employee is entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks paid annual leave (28 days for an employee working 5 days per week). Those working part time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata.
For example, for someone working 3 days per week (3 x 5.6 = 16.8 days)
Calculating Holiday Entitlement
If the business is closed on a day the part time employee would usually work, then an employee will be paid for this as a day’s annual leave and one day will be deducted from the total amount of annual leave entitlement.
If the business is closed on a day that the employee does not usually work, then the employee is not affected. There would be no entitlement to pay for the bank holiday but equally there would be no need to deduct a day’s annual leave.