Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Retail staff having to work over the Diamond Jubilee weekend should get an extra day’s leave along with their contracted overtime pay.
That was the message today from the TUC, which says it is “calling on employers to do the right thing” and not make employees feel as though they have missed out on the holiday bonanza.
Special bank holidays such as the Diamond Jubilee are not included in the minimum statutory paid annual leave entitlement, so those who need to work are relying on the goodwill of their employers for an extra day’s leave or overtime.
“Most sensible employers will be giving staff an extra day’s paid leave to allow them to enjoy the festivities in full. But the TUC is concerned that some penny-pinching bosses are treating Tuesday as a standard working day and expect their staff to come in as normal,” the trades union body said.
It acknowledged that it may be too late for employers who have told staff to come in to work to change their minds and give them the Monday and Tuesday off.
But it added: “For people having to work over the Diamond Jubilee weekend, such as emergency services and retail staff, the TUC believes that their employers should offer them an extra day’s leave as well as their contracted overtime pay.”
It said tight-fisted companies were in danger of “generating widespread resentment amongst staff that may make them less likely to go that extra mile in the weeks and months to come”.
