Christmas bank holidays

Pharrell

Since St Stephen's day falls on saturday this year, is Monday 28th a bank holiday? Also is Christmas eve classed as a bank holiday?

John Mason

Yes, Monday 28th is a Bank Holiday

Christmas Eve is not a Bank Holiday, it is a normal working day but most employers give a bit of leyway. we usually get sent home at around 11.30am

Pharrell

thanks, also is the 31st a bank holiday?

Wishbone Ash

Pharrell wrote: »

Since St Stephen's day falls on saturday this year, is Monday 28th a bank holiday?

Monday 28th is a Bank Holiday but if you work in a 24/52/365 environment, premium payment is only made for those working on Saturday 26th, not those working on Monday 28th.

Pharrell wrote:

Also is Christmas eve classed as a bank holiday?

No.

Pharrell wrote: »

thanks, also is the 31st a bank holiday?

No.

DubTony

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Monday 28th is a Bank Holiday but if you work in a 24/52/365 environment, premium payment is only made for those working on Saturday 26th, not those working on Monday 28th.

Actually should that not be be the other way round? Not that it really matters, but if a dated holiday falls on a weekend the Monday is the holiday and the weekend day becomes a normal day (for public holiday purposes). The Saturday is not a holiday and so work done on the Saturday should be paid at normal rates. Public holiday benefits would be paid for the Monday instead.

For me this was standard practice in the retail trade. One employee actually tried to claim double time for Saturday 26th and then a paid day off for the Monday "because Monday is a public holiday". :eek:

Irish Public Holidays are a follows

Jan 1
St Patricks Day (or the following Monday if falls on a weekend)
Easter Monday
First Monday in May
First Monday in June
First Monday in August
Last Monday in October
Christmas Day (or the following Monday if falls on a weekend)
St Stephens Day (or the following Monday if falls on a weekend)

That's the lot. Good Friday / Christmas Eve etc. are not public holidays but many companies do choose to close on those days.

mdebets

DubTony wrote: »

Irish Public Holidays are a follows

St Patricks Day (or the following Monday if falls on a weekend)
Christmas Day (or the following Monday if falls on a weekend)
St Stephens Day (or the following Monday if falls on a weekend)

That's incorrect. Look here.

Citizens Information wrote:

Where a public holiday falls on a weekend, you do not have any automatic legal entitlement to have the next working day off work. This occurs in 2009 when St Stephen's Day (26 December) falls on a Saturday. This means that Monday 28 December 2009 is not a public holiday.

Wishbone Ash

DubTony wrote: »

Actually should that not be be the other way round? Not that it really matters, but if a dated holiday falls on a weekend the Monday is the holiday and the weekend day becomes a normal day (for public holiday purposes). The Saturday is not a holiday and so work done on the Saturday should be paid at normal rates. Public holiday benefits would be paid for the Monday instead.

Suppose Christmas Day falls on a Saturday - do you think that the staff working on Christmas Day should be paid at a normal Saturday rate yet those working on Monday 27th should get a premium??? That would be ridiculous! My employer (the country's largest) insists that those working on the actual day get the premium. Those working on Monday get the normal Monday rate.

It may be different in the retail sector but it's not really a 24/52/365 service (with very few exceptions).

DubTony wrote:

St Stephens Day (or the following Monday if falls on a weekend)

Or on a Tuesday if it falls on a Sunday.

DubTony

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Suppose Christmas Day falls on a Saturday - do you think that the staff working on Christmas Day should be paid at a normal Saturday rate yet those working on Monday 27th should get a premium??? That would be ridiculous! My employer (the country's largest) insists that those working on the actual day get the premium. Those working on Monday get the normal Monday rate.

It may be different in the retail sector but it's not really a 24/52/365 service (with very few exceptions).

Or on a Tuesday if it falls on a Sunday.

I suppose it depends on your business. I'll explain again from my point of view. In a small business when calculating payroll, it's prudent to take the official bank holiday as the day employees are paid for.

A few years ago, my store used to open on Christmas day. The staff didn't care what day they were paid for as long as they got it. So to make payroll simple, when a holiday fell on a weekend, I would take the Monday as the holiday as all staff weren't required to work weekends. It's easier to pick one day for paying extra wages than to have to calculate 2 days.

So in the above situation when an employee works the Saturday and Monday, he is paid double time for Monday and normal rate for Saturday. If he worked Saturday but was off on Monday he receives a paid day off for Monday and is paid for Saturday at normal rate. If he had both days off, he is paid for the Monday. Simple. This was of course based on a 7-day roster with the employee working 5 days a week.

mdbets wrote:

That's incorrect. Look here.

It would be a good idea for you to provide all the information you quote so that nobody gets confused.

Citizens Information wrote:

Where a public holiday falls on a weekend, you do not have any automatic legal entitlement to have the next working day off work. This occurs in 2009 when St Stephen's Day (26 December) falls on a Saturday. This means that Monday 28 December 2009 is not a public holiday. When this happens you are entitled to the normal alternative arrangements concerning employment and public holidays that is:

A paid day off within a month of the public holiday
An additional day of annual leave
An additional day's pay
The nearest church holiday to the public holiday as a paid day off.
Your employer can require you to attend work on those days.

I agree, you are not automatically entitled to an automatic day off on the following Monday. In fact, you are not entitled to a day off at all, as your employer can decide how you will be paid for a public holiday. For simplicity's sake, most employers will pay people within the week of the public holidays, and for convenience, as I've pointed out above, will pick one day to calculate public holiday pay on.

brettmirl

A lot of the confusion happens because everyone thinks that a Bank Holiday = Public Holiday. Public Holidays are the ones you are legally entitled to. Bank Holidays are the days the Banks are closed.

Public Holidays - http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/employment/employment-rights-and-conditions/leave-and-holidays/public-holidays-in-ireland

Bank Holidays [pdf] - http://www.ipso.ie/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=215&Itemid=198

So Monday Dec 28th is a Bank Holiday, but it is NOT a Public Holiday.

bernyh

So does anyone know how my entitlement works in the Christmas week?

Week works Monday to Sunday....

My week is as follows

Monday (statutary day off)
Tue work
Wed work
Thu (job closed no chance of working)
Friday (christmas day so no chance of working)
Saturday (Stephens day, my day off, would have been paid at triple time had I been working)
Sunday (in work, normally would be paid x2 hours but don't know if that will be happening?!)

So I will be working Tue Wed Sunday, the job is closed Thu Friday, should i not still be paid for Stephen's day? As the job is not open Xmas eve and Xmas day should I be paid for that?So only getting my two days off at normal rate? Or should I be paid for Stephens day at double time and still be paid for christmas day as the job isn't open so I couldn't work?

Our job works normally over 7 days


Dunno if that makes sense