Good Friday is not a public holiday..

Kotek Besar

..so why is my son's creche closed?

Good Friday is a normal working day in this country. I'm working as normal. I still have to pay creche as normal.. yet they are closed. This means I have to use a day's annual leave when I'm paying the creche to look after my child.

Anyone else think this is not on?

Gmol

Kotek Besar wrote: »

..so why is my son's creche closed?

Good Friday is a normal working day in this country. I'm working as normal. I still have to pay creche as normal.. yet they are closed. This means I have to use a day's annual leave when I'm paying the creche to look after my child.

Anyone else think this is not on?

Have sympathy with you on this, have you spoken to the other parents in the creche or the owner? My wife is working Good Friday as well but fortunately the creche is open. (should also have mentioned I am off too....)

shoegirl

Its an old fashioned assumption that people will be off.

What is ironic is that it is a bank holiday in the UK.

thirtythirty

Sounds to me that you're just bitter you don't get the day off! Surely you should be annoyed at your company rather than the creche?

Kotek Besar

spottyelephant wrote: »

Sounds to me that you're just bitter you don't get the day off! Surely you should be annoyed at your company rather than the creche?

Er, no. It's a working day..

thirtythirty

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Er, no. It's a working day..

Ah but it's not really!

In anycase since you've monday off i woulda thought spending 1 day's holidays to get 4 days off would have been a logical thing to do.

Kotek Besar

spottyelephant wrote: »

Ah but it's not really!

In this country, Good Friday is not a public holiday, it is a working day. That's the law.

spottyelephant wrote: »

In anycase since you've monday off i woulda thought spending 1 day's holidays to get 4 days off would have been a logical thing to do.

Logical it is, but it's my choice to make - not the creche's.

petes

spottyelephant wrote: »

Ah but it's not really!

Can I ask what you mean by this?

thirtythirty

Kotek Besar wrote: »

In this country, Good Friday is not a public holiday, it is a working day. That's the law.

I like to view the law in this situation as a kind of guideline. Best practise if you will. Every company needs to weigh up quantifiable operational gains vs employee morale and contentness. A happy employee is a profitable employee!

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Logical it is, but it's my choice to make - not the creche's.

Fair enough. But I would reckon they'd have assumed most people would have the day off (which i think would be a legit assumption)! Perhaps they should have given a couple weeks warning so that you could make alternative arrangements.

It's annoying for you i understand though - happens to me round christmas time when im expected to spend 3 of my holidays which can be annoying depending on my holiday plans for the rest of the year.

tatli_lokma

spottyelephant wrote: »

Fair enough. But I would reckon they'd have assumed most people would have the day off (which i think would be a legit assumption)!

a legit assumption in your opinion, but for me its the opposite. Until the job I have now in 12 years of my working life I have never had Good Friday off, and have never assumed I would have. It is a holy day not a public holiday. in the main, most of my working friends are working tomorrow - they mostly work for large corporations or multinationals.
The only reason I am off is because our head office is in the UK and they are closed so there is no benefit for us to be open - but we all have to take the day out of our AL.
I was actually surprised to find out i was off (happy but surprised!)

Shelga

That is ridiculous OP. You're paying for a service you're not receiving. I would be having words with management. This kind of thing is incredibly irritating. Have you spoken to them about this yet?

bbam

I'd agree it's crazy, it's a Church Holiday not a Bank Holiday and I'd say the majority of manufacturing related positions willl be working... I always have anyway

Yawns

When I was working for the last number of years I never worked Good Friday and got paid a bank holiday pay for it. I think your're over-reacting. I too have a son out of creche but must pay but don't begrudge them the time off.

tatli_lokma

Yawns wrote: »

When I was working for the last number of years I never worked Good Friday and got paid a bank holiday pay for it. I think your're over-reacting. I too have a son out of creche but must pay but don't begrudge them the time off.

its not a case of 'begrudging' people a day off - its a case of being annoyed that she is expected to pay for a service she doesn't receive. And rightly so! Its no different than the creche deciding, we fancy next wednesday off, so we'll close and still expect our clients to pay and take a day off themselves to cover our day off. It is NOT a public holiday.

Closing on Good Friday is a choice made by each business.
If they want to give this as a 'privilege' day, then a more appropriate compromise would be to open but rota staff on differently - give some the day off, others a day in lieu. That way staff would still get their 'bonus' day, but some of them could take it next Tuesday say.

Let me ask you, if Sky TV, or the ESB or any service provider decided that they fancy giving all their staff a few days off, so shut off their service for 2 days, would you still be happy to be billed for it?? when you had no benefit of the service?

Yawns

Well tbh when you sign your kid up at the start of the year you would have been given the list of all holidays and days they would not be in. Anyone I know with kids in creche have been given this letter at the start and been reminded a few weeks ago.

Have a word with the manager but I doubt you'll get very far. If you want to compare it to the esb and sky, the answer is the same. You sign up knowing the terms and conditions. If they had such a condition of not providing sky tv on bank holidays then no I wouldn't be happy but I also would not get it in that case.

In the case of the creché, you signed your child in knowing that on any bank holidays you must pay but the child will be at home. If you don't agree to that then make other arrangments for your child to be minded by a child minder in your/their home. Some places and companies regard it as a bank holiday even tho it is only a holy day. The list of bank holidays on the information pack would let you know that that creché happens to do so.

Like I said I myself got good friday off & paid at a bank holiday rate. I am happy enough to take my child at home even tho I am paying for the day he is supposed to be in creche. It's not like it happens all the time. The creche is professionally run, staff well trained, great with kids, full of information - reminding us well in advance of holidays etc and most importantly my child loves it. 1 day is not going to kill me or anyone really.

jomc

my nieces playschool is off for 2 weeks and they still have to pay!!!

jomc

Yawns wrote: »

Like I said I myself got good friday off & paid at a bank holiday rate. I am happy enough to take my child at home even tho I am paying for the day he is supposed to be in creche. It's not like it happens all the time. The creche is professionally run, staff well trained, great with kids, full of information - reminding us well in advance of holidays etc and most importantly my child loves it. 1 day is not going to kill me or anyone really.

you were handed good fri off and you were paid a premium...

this is not the same situation as someone who has to work and is not paid a premium. the op was left with no alternative but to use a holiday day in order to mind her child despite having paid for childcare for this day.

what if the ops employer wouldnt allow them good fri off??? in my place of work plenty of people want it off to turn it into a 4 day weekend but its not possible for everyone who wants it to get it off therefore many people will be left in the situation of having to work whether they have tried to use holidays or not

Yawns

jomc it's still the same situation. The OP knew that on Good Friday they're child would not be in creché. If they were not informed at the start of the year or at least some while back, then I would take my child out of the creché alltogether.

As I said, anyone I know with children in creché have been notified of this in advance. Can hardly come on boards or to management moaning now about it.

Let me give you my view on it in terms of a company provider like what was used in OP's defence. I'll give you a real 1 that has happened too, I'll try to find a link.

Someone signs up to O2 mobile broadband. They agree to a 3 gb limit a month for x amount. If they go over the limit they will be charged. One day a bill comes in a €400 cos they downloaded x amout of gigs. They are angry at this and don't want to pay. What answer did most people give?

That the op in that case knew O2's terms & conditions, they agreed on the 3gb limit and thus had no right to complain when the exceeded it.


I know it's frustrating for OP but if the creche is in anyway decently run, then they would have been informed that good friday would be treated as a bank holiday. Like I said if you don't agree and get really really annoyed or angry about it, perhaps you would be better off with a private childminder in your home or theirs.

Wishbone Ash

Yawns wrote: »

I myself got good friday off & paid at a bank holiday rate

Leaving aside the matter that it is not a Bank Holiday, how did you get paid Bank Holiday rate and also get the day off? If your employer was paying Bank Holiday rates for Good Friday, wouldn't that only be payable to those who actually work on the day? Shouldn't you just get your normal pay with the day off?

mood

I have also never had Good Friday off. Very, very few private sector companies give the day off. I think the OP has a right to be annoyed. OP I think you should contact other parents then complain to the owner. I would also refuse to pay for that day. Why should you have to pay for a days service that is not given? I bet they won't close next year if you all complain about it.

Yawns

When I was working I got good friday off and pay slip had me paid for bank holiday hours at the bank holiday rate for those hours I did not work.

Yawns

I think your all missing the fact that the OP knew in advance that good friday will be treated as a bank holiday by the creché. You can't sign up your child then get annoyed by the creché's policy when you were informed in advance.

Even if the OP couldn't get the day off work she could have arranged for a 1 day baby sitter. By all means I can see how some people would get angry as they are paying for this day but the child will not be minded but they take it as a bank holiday regard & they have notifed you of this regard. The time to question is not on the day or the few preceeding days imo. Question the holiday chart at the start of year / term.

mood

Yawns wrote: »

I think your all missing the fact that the OP knew in advance that good friday will be treated as a bank holiday by the creché. You can't sign up your child then get annoyed by the creché's policy when you were informed in advance.

Even if the OP couldn't get the day off work she could have arranged for a 1 day baby sitter. By all means I can see how some people would get angry as they are paying for this day but the child will not be minded but they take it as a bank holiday regard & they have notifed you of this regard. The time to question is not on the day or the few preceeding days imo. Question the holiday chart at the start of year / term.

It's not easy to find a baby sitter for one day. Obviously it need to be someone you can trust and in most cases knows the child. And we don't know for sure that the OP was informed well in advance about this day off.

Yawns

True we don't know for sure, but any decent run creché would have informed the OP either by telling them verblly, written letter given when child picked up or on the policy book at start of year which stats the terms / holiday sheet. If a creché does not do any of the above then I for one wouldn't be sending my child their full stop.

If your happy to have your child taken care of in a creché that is properly run, clean, professional and your child is happy, then this one day is not going to bother you really.

Wishbone Ash

Yawns wrote: »

When I was working I got good friday off and pay slip had me paid for bank holiday hours at the bank holiday rate for those hours I did not work.

You have a generous employer!!

I do the payroll for 600 staff. Those working on Monday will get time+time at their substantive rate. Some will also get a day off in lieu.

Those who don't get a day off in lieu wll also get an additional payment whether they are rostered on or off which is 50% of the Bank Holiday rate (providing they were not ill on the day).

No one gets any extra for working Good Friday unless they were rostered on overtime which entitles them to time+50%.

tatli_lokma

Yawns wrote: »

you signed your child in knowing that on any bank holidays you must pay but the child will be at home. ......... Some places and companies regard it as a bank holiday even tho it is only a holy day.

the whole point is that it is NOT A BANK HOLIDAY!!!!!!

Yawns wrote: »

Like I said I myself got good friday off & paid at a bank holiday rate. I am happy enough to take my child at home even tho I am paying for the day ....... 1 day is not going to kill me or anyone really.

lucky you, but you have been well comepensated for your time off - although you are paying for the day your child is at home you are also getting paid a premium, so financially you are no worse off and you have not had to use your annual leave. The OP has to use their annual leave in order to do what you have done. If you were out of pocket and/or a days leave you may have a different attitude.
and for some people 1 day unpaid leave would make a significant difference to their financial situation that week.

Yawns

Currently unemployed and actively seeking work atm. So I couldn't actively seek work on Friday. The point may be that it is not a bank holiday. Fair enough. Don't pay them for that day and see what the reaction is.

Perhaps a complaint or query at start of term would have been better suited than an up in arms attitude on the day in question or the preceeding week? Complain like hell now if you want, but parents are informed at start of year what days will be off & which days off will be paid for by parents. My list entails all bank holidays and has Good Friday marked as the holiday. Why would I get angry knowing in advance of the situation?

Surely the OP was informed beforehand and could have raised the issue then? If your unhappy with how the creche is run, then bring your hard earned money to another creche who don't take holy days as bank holidays.

If the OP's creche didn't notify them in advance of this situation I have sympathy. However in the most likely event that they were well informed, then I don't. They made a choice to stick with that creche.

What I really think happened is OP didn't look at the term timetable and / or threw it away and forgot about the bank holiday. No parent / sibling / friend to mind the child for a few hours?

Mrs OBumble

jomc wrote: »

my nieces playschool is off for 2 weeks and they still have to pay!!!

This is apparently common practice in the early-childhood sector: If you want the place kept open for the child after the holiday is over, then you need to pay for it during the holiday period.

The argument is that the staff still need to be paid for their annual leave days taken during this period, therefore parents still need to pay.

They could (and probably would, if I was managing the business!) charge a slightly higher fee for the rest of the year, and not charge for times when they were not receiving the service: that way the leave-days would be funded by all parents, no matter whether they were keeping the child enrolled in the next term or not. But in places where there are more children wanting creche places than there are places, this alternative approach, that does make the fees cheaper each week, is taken. I guess it works well for parents who can take their own annual leave at the same time that the creche is closed.