Appendix A8.7
Public/privilege leave days and entitlement
1. England and Wales
In England and Wales public/privilege leave days are normally as follows:
- New Year's Day
- The afternoon of Maundy Thursday
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- May Day Bank Holiday
- Queen's Birthday (the friday before the Spring Bank Holiday)
- Spring Bank Holiday
- Late Summer Bank Holiday
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
- One other day at Christmas
- When Christmas Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, and when Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, a day off in lieu may be granted
2. Scotland
In Scotland the same number of public and privilege holidays is allowed as in England and Wales, but in view of the varying local circumstances in Scotland, the selection of days to be observed as holidays is left to the discretion of establishments, subject to the maximum of 10½ days in all.
3. Part-time employees
3.1 For part-time employees the amount is calculated on a pro-rata basis (e.g. ½ full-time hours per week will attract one half the public and privilege holiday entitlement of a full-timer) - this entitlement is calculated in hours and added to your annual leave entitlement balance.
3.2 A part of the annual entitlement is used whenever a public/privilege leave day falls on a day on which you would normally have worked - i.e. the number of hours which you would have worked on the day is deducted from your annual entitlement.
4. Employees on short term appointments of less than a year
You take such public and privilege days as occurs during your period of employment (pro rata for part time working).
5. Employees on a 5½-day week
If you work a 5½-day week you take the same public/privilege leave days as employees working a 5-day week, with the following exceptions:
- The Saturday morning before Easter will be substituted for the afternoon of Maundy Thursday and the Saturday before the Spring Holiday for the Friday before the Spring Bank Holiday as the Queen's Birthday Holiday
- When Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, such employees may be granted a day off in lieu. Employees who would normally attend only half a day on the day fixed for the Queen's Birthday holiday or on Christmas Day or Boxing Day when they fall on a Saturday will, wherever practicable, be allowed an additional half-day holiday on another day in the same week, ordinarily as close to the Saturday as possible. An additional half-day holiday is not allowed with Easter Saturday
6. Employees with other working arrangements
Employees working to other arrangements involving Saturday attendance less frequently than every Saturday, e.g. a 10½ day fortnight, will be treated as above, according to whether or not they would have been required to attend on the Saturday concerned.
Where an employee is required to work on a public holiday on an ad hoc basis, they will be granted a day off in lieu.
7 Public or privilege holiday and sick absence
If a public or privilege day falls during a period of sickness absence you are not entitled to time off in lieu on your return to work.
Last updated 31/03/11
Amendment 124 - April 2011