Are employees entitled to the extra bank holiday in June 2022?

The four-day weekend is approaching at the end of the week, and many will be excited for the special four-day weekend in early June.

Thanks to the extra bank holiday marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on Friday, 03 June 2022 and the late May bank holiday moving to Thursday, 02 June 2022, the UK will celebrate the Queen’s 70th anniversary with a special four-day weekend…..but are your employees entitled to the extra day off?

Whether an employee is legally entitled to the extra bank holiday will depend on their contract of employment and usual working patterns. Therefore, employers must check their employees’ contracts and the drafting around public holidays.

Does the contract set out their annual entitlement “20 days plus bank holidays”? If so, this would mean the employee is contractually entitled to the paid additional platinum jubilee holiday.

Does the contract specify the “8 bank holidays” or “28 days inclusive of bank holidays” or “20 days’ plus the usualbank holidays”? If so, this would leave the choice up to the employer, which could either mean, employees return to work on Friday, 03 June 2022, or they take the additional bank holiday either paid or unpaid.

As June approaches, employers should check existing contracts of employment, consider what approach was taken in 2011 for the royal wedding and if working practices will be consistent, and employee relations/reputational risk.

What if there is no employment contract? What about part-time employees? Or employees on maternity leave? Find out more by contacting FGS for a no obligation discussion.