Additional Bank Holiday – The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
The UK will celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 70th anniversary as monarch with an extended weekend of celebrations in 2022. The May Bank Holiday Weekend will be moved to Thursday 2 June and an additional Bank Holiday on Friday 3 June will see a four-day weekend to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Changes to the UK Bank Holidays in 2022:
In 2022, there will be an additional bank holiday, taking the total number of public holidays to 9 instead of the usual 8 (in England).
The traditional days that the May bank holidays fall will be adjusted for 2022. The late May bank holiday will move from the final Monday in May to Thursday 2 June and the UK will enjoy an additional Bank Holiday on Friday 3 June which will result in a four-day weekend to celebrate the first time any British monarch has reached their platinum jubilee, a historic milestone.
UK Bank holidays 2022:
Monday3rd January – New Year’s Day
Friday15th April – Good Friday
Monday18th April – Easter Monday
Monday2nd May – Early May bank holiday
Thursday2nd June – Spring bank holiday (moved from Monday 30th May)
Friday3rd June – Platinum Jubilee bank holiday (new date)
Monday29th August – Summer bank holiday
Monday26th December – Boxing Day
Tuesday27th December – Christmas Day Substitute
How will this affect your Organisation?
Not all employees have an automatic right to paid time off on a bank holiday. Some organisations are clear that they are a 24/7 operation and, depending on the nature of a worker’s role, their contracts may make it clear that bank holidays do not form part of persons basic holiday entitlement.
Therefore, the first factor to consider is whether you intend to close to recognise the platinum jubilee weekend or will remain open for business as usual.
Secondly, whether your organisation will be open or closed, as a gesture of goodwill (and perhaps in recognition of a difficult period throughout the continuing COVID pandemic), do you intend to boost the holiday entitlement for all of your workers by an additional day? (see below, Do we have to give extra time off).
Do we have to give extra paid time off?
That all depends on how your terms of employment are worded.
- 20 days plus bank holidays – YES!
- 28 days inclusive of bank holidays – NO!
- Any other wording – contact us to discuss
If you choose to be generous, and give an extra day of leave, this should have a positive impact on employee morale and will enable those who can take leave not to need to take a day from their basic entitlement, and those who cannot take leave (due the nature of the work that they do) to take the leave at another time. (don’t forget that this will also apply to anyone who is absent from work due to family leave or through sickness absence).
Remember that in 2011, we enjoyed an additional bank holiday to mark the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and in 2012another, to recognise the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Therefore, when deciding whether, or not, to give additional time off, it is important to adopt an approach similar to that which you have chosen in the past (particularly to avoid a negative reaction from those with long service who will remember how you have dealt with this kind of situation in the past).
What if we have different staff on different terms and conditions?
A lot will depend on the precise wording of the employees’ terms of employment. Whether you state a collective holiday entitlement (and specify that it is inclusive of bank and public holidays) or whether you identify a set number of holidays and say something along the lines of “plus bank and public holidays”. If you are unsure about the wording in your employees’ statement of terms and/or have existing employees on different variations or old statements of main terms, then please contact us to discuss how this affects you.
The information provided in all of our blogs reflects only a narrative of some elements to consider on the topic. The blogs do not contain considered legal advice and should not be relied upon as advice. Please see our website terms and conditions for full details of our disclaimer. If you are interested in obtaining advice, please contact one of our lawyers who will be happy and able to advise you on your own particular circumstances.