Why isn't Good Friday a public holiday ?

Discodog

Having spent a lot of time in the UK I can't understand why Good Friday isn't a holiday here. It would make so much sense to move one of the May holidays to Good Friday to give people a long weekend.

I was told that the reason that it isn't a holiday is because all the civil servants etc get it off anyway. Surely the Church would encourage it.

A Dub in Glasgo

It is not a public holiday in Glasgow

Menas

Is good friday the only bank holiday that is not a public holiday? So many questions...

Zaph

Menas wrote: »

Is good friday the only bank holiday that is not a public holiday? So many questions...

No. The next working day after St. Stephen's Day is also a bank holiday, but it's not a public holiday.

LeinsterDub

Discodog wrote: »

It would make so much sense to move one of the May holidays to Good Friday to give people a long weekend.

You have Monday off so you already have a long weekend

bee06

Discodog wrote: »

Having spent a lot of time in the UK I can't understand why Good Friday isn't a holiday here. It would make so much sense to move one of the May holidays to Good Friday to give people a long weekend.

I was told that the reason that it isn't a holiday is because all the civil servants etc get it off anyway. Surely the Church would encourage it.

We only have 1 public holiday in May. It's the UK that have two. I'd much prefer three three day weekends anyway than a one four day and one three day weekend.

timthumbni

In Northern Ireland we get 2 days off during the 12th July week.And most trades take the whole week off. What days do youse get off that we don't?

RebekahD

Its a confusing day ! The postman works, shops are open yet the doctor's which are important are closed !
Love to know who makes the rules on these things !

Water John

Some post runs on Good Friday.
I think the legal profession take Easter Tuesday off. Don't know the historical origins of that.

mansize

No post on Good Friday round our parts

mad muffin

Here in Australia it's a four day long weekend.

shamrock2004

I agree, it's a piss take. The banks are closed, the pubs are closed. Some people get double pay for gods sake. Yet in my job it's a regular working day.

Raging_Ninja

It''s a public holiday in the bastion of secular socialism Denmark. Also on the Thursday before and on the Monday after.

DEFTLEFTHAND

We do a five day break in my workplace, closed GF, Easter Monday and Tuesday.

Alf Stewart.

timthumbni wrote: »

In Northern Ireland we get 2 days off during the 12th July week.And most trades take the whole week off. What days do youse get off that we don't?

You guys over there have twelve weeks in July

ToddyDoody

Cheap b*stards I'm thinking? (don't want to loose money due to lost economic activity?)

mikeym

The banks were closed on Good Friday but its not a bank holiday im confused.

Victor

mikeym wrote: »

The banks were closed on Good Friday but its not a bank holiday im confused.

Bank holidays are days that banks are closed.

They are not the same thing as public holidays, which are the days that people are entitled to have off / get paid more if working.

MadDog76

Victor wrote: »

Bank holidays are days that banks are closed.

They are not the same thing as public holidays, which are the days that people are entitled to have off / get paid more if working.

Bank Holidays and Public Holidays are the same thing, Good Friday is neither.

Zaph

MadDog76 wrote: »

Bank Holidays and Public Holidays are the same thing, Good Friday is neither.

Bank holidays and public holidays are not the same thing, the general public merely use the terms interchangeably. Good Friday is a bank holiday, however Easter Monday is a public holiday in addition to being a bank holiday. Banks close for both days.

MadDog76

Zaph wrote: »

Bank holidays and public holidays are not the same thing, the general public merely use the terms interchangeably. Good Friday is a bank holiday, however Easter Monday is a public holiday in addition to being a bank holiday. Banks close for both days.

You're wrong Zaph.

"There are 9 public holidays in Ireland each year. Public holidays may commemorate a special day or other event, for example, St Patrick's Day (17 March) or Christmas Day (25 December). On a public holiday, sometimes called a bank holiday, most businesses and schools close. Other services, for example, public transport still operate but often with restricted schedules. The list of public holidays each year is as follows:

New Year's Day (1 January)
St. Patrick's Day (17 March)
Easter Monday
First Monday in May, June, August
Last Monday in October
Christmas Day (25 December)
St. Stephen's Day (26 December)
Good Friday is not a public holiday. While some schools and businesses close on that day, you have no automatic entitlement to time off work on that day."

Public Holidays are Bank Holidays, they are one and the same.

Menas

MadDog76 wrote: »

You're wrong Zaph.

"There are 9 public holidays in Ireland each year. Public holidays may commemorate a special day or other event, for example, St Patrick's Day (17 March) or Christmas Day (25 December). On a public holiday, sometimes called a bank holiday, most businesses and schools close. Other services, for example, public transport still operate but often with restricted schedules. The list of public holidays each year is as follows:

New Year's Day (1 January)
St. Patrick's Day (17 March)
Easter Monday
First Monday in May, June, August
Last Monday in October
Christmas Day (25 December)
St. Stephen's Day (26 December)
Good Friday is not a public holiday. While some schools and businesses close on that day, you have no automatic entitlement to time off work on that day."

Public Holidays are Bank Holidays, they are one and the same.

No they are not the same!
Good friday is a bank holiay for example. Not a public holiday. So how can they be the same?

Zaph

MadDog76 wrote: »

Wrong Zaph.

"There are 9 public holidays in Ireland each year. Public holidays may commemorate a special day or other event, for example, St Patrick's Day (17 March) or Christmas Day (25 December). On a public holiday, sometimes called a bank holiday, most businesses and schools close. Other services, for example, public transport still operate but often with restricted schedules. The list of public holidays each year is as follows:

New Year's Day (1 January)
St. Patrick's Day (17 March)
Easter Monday
First Monday in May, June, August
Last Monday in October
Christmas Day (25 December)
St. Stephen's Day (26 December)
Good Friday is not a public holiday. While some schools and businesses close on that day, you have no automatic entitlement to time off work on that day."

The European cross border payment system (TARGET) closes on Good Friday, consequently it is a bank holiday. So while other businesses have no automatic entitlement to time off on that day, bank staff do. It is not a public holiday, as you correctly indicated above.

MadDog76

Menas wrote: »

No they are not the same!
Good friday is a bank holiay for example. Not a public holiday. So how can they be the same?

Good Friday is a National Observance (Religious) Day, Bank Holidays are no longer officially called Bank Holidays (as it was confusing to some people), they are now called Public Holidays.

mansize

Zaph wrote: »

The European cross border payment system (TARGET) closes on Good Friday, consequently it is a bank holiday. So while other businesses have no automatic entitlement to time off on that day, bank staff do. It is not a public holiday, as you correctly indicated above.

I agree with the Bank Holiday piece but Target is also closed on May 1, which isn't a BH in Ireland and Banks are open

Zaph

MadDog76 wrote: »

Bank Holidays are no longer officially called Bank Holidays (as it was confusing to some people), they are now called Public Holidays.

Yes, that is to distinguish them from the bank holidays, i.e. those dates that are holidays for bank staff but not necessarily the general public. There are two, Good Friday and the first working day after St. Stephen's Day.

MadDog76

Zaph wrote: »

The European cross border payment system (TARGET) closes on Good Friday, consequently it is a bank holiday. So while other businesses have no automatic entitlement to time off on that day, bank staff do. It is not a public holiday, as you correctly indicated above.

The term "bank holiday" is no longer accepted in any official capacity here in Ireland, ie. we don't have any "bank holidays" at all, we have Public Holidays.

The use of the term "bank holiday" is a slang-word, if you will, for Public Holiday ....... some people seem to believe that if the banks close then it's a "bank holiday" which is ridiculous, obviously.

MadDog76

Zaph wrote: »

Yes, that is to distinguish them from the bank holidays, i.e. those dates that are holidays for bank staff but not necessarily the general public. There are two, Good Friday and the first working day after St. Stephen's Day.

Good Friday is totally different, and separate, to St. Stephen's Day and thus treated completely differently.

Zaph

mansize wrote: »

I agree with the Bank Holiday piece but Target is also closed on May 1, which isn't a BH in Ireland and Banks are open

May 1st does confuse things somewhat, but the the May public holiday on the first Monday of the month here means that May Day isn't observed as a holiday unless it happens to be a Monday. It is a public holiday in many European countries however, although if it falls at the weekend there isn't a TARGET holiday on the next working day to make up for it.

MadDog76 wrote: »

The term "bank holiday" is no longer accepted in any official capacity here in Ireland, ie. we don't have any "bank holidays" at all, we have Public Holidays.

The use of the term "bank holiday" is a slang-word, if you will, for Public Holiday ....... some people seem to believe that if the banks close then it's a "bank holiday" which is ridiculous, obviously.

I agree, bank holiday was the catch-all phrase to cover holidays of any sort and it did cause confusion. However you're completely missing the point that there are two days a year that are holidays for bank staff and not necessarily for everyone else, so these are, by definition, bank holidays and not public holidays.

MadDog76 wrote: »

Good Friday is totally different, and separate, to St. Stephen's Day and thus treated completely differently.

I'm not talking about St. Stephen's Day. The day after St. Stephen's Day is a bank holiday.

MadDog76

Zaph wrote: »

I agree, bank holiday was the catch-all phrase to cover holidays of any sort and it did cause confusion. However you're completely missing the point that there are two days a year that are holidays for bank staff and not necessarily for everyone else, so these are, by definition, bank holidays and not public holidays.



I'm not talking about St. Stephen's Day. The day after St. Stephen's Day is a bank holiday.

I'm sorry Zaph but you're wrong.

St. Stephen's Day is a Public Holiday, if it falls on a weekend, you do not have any automatic legal entitlement to have the next working day off work. Your employer can require you to attend work on those days.
However, when this happens you are entitled to a paid day off within a month of the public holiday or an additional day of annual leave or an additional day's pay.

Good Friday is just an Observance Day.

Menas

MadDog76 wrote: »

Good Friday is just an Observance Day.

But the point is that Bank holidays and public holidays are different.
You believe they are the same.
If they are the same then why are banks closed on good friday - but it is not a public holiday?

MadDog76

Menas wrote: »

But the point is that Bank holidays and public holidays are different.
You believe they are the same.
If they are the same then why are banks closed on good friday - but it is not a public holiday?

I don't believe they are the same ......... Public Holidays are Public Holidays and "bank holidays" do not exist, despite the fact that some people mistakenly still use that expression.

Good Friday is a Holy Day of Obligation within the Catholic Church ........... it's not a "bank holiday" just because banks close on that day.
By that logic, every Sunday is a "bank holiday" so ........... or, by the same logic, we could call Good Friday an "Off-Licence Holiday", a "GP Holiday", a "My Local Corner Shop Holiday" etc.

RealJohn

Discodog wrote: »

Surely the Church would encourage it.

You must have missed the memo - anything the Church encourages is automatically bad. Unless the anti-religious want to do it.

Zaph

MadDog76 wrote: »

I'm sorry Zaph but you're wrong.

St. Stephen's Day is a Public Holiday, if it falls on a weekend, you do not have any automatic legal entitlement to have the next working day off work. Your employer can require you to attend work on those days.
However, when this happens you are entitled to a paid day off within a month of the public holiday or an additional day of annual leave or an additional day's pay.

Good Friday is just an Observance Day.

One of us is wrong, but given that I have worked in a bank and have many friends who currently work in various banks around Dublin, I'm not liking your odds.

How it breaks down is as follows:

Good Friday - Bank Holiday. Bank staff do not work this day, however other businesses will decide themselves whether they will stay open or close. If you work on this day you are not entitled to extra pay or a time off in lieu.

Easter Monday - Public holiday. Everyone, including bank staff, are entitled to the day off. Should you have to work you are entitled to extra pay and/or time off in lieu.

Christmas Day & St. Stephen's Day - Public holiday. Everyone, including bank staff, are entitled to the day off. Should you have to work you are entitled to extra pay and/or time off in lieu. If either or both fall on a weekend the next working day is taken in lieu.

Next working day after St. Stephen's Day (or day observed as the St. Stephen's Day public holiday if 26th is on a weekend) - Bank Holiday. Bank staff do not work this day, however other businesses will decide themselves whether they will stay open or close. If you work on this day you are not entitled to extra pay or a time off in lieu.

I trust that this clears things up.

MadDog76

Zaph wrote: »

One of us is wrong, but given that I have worked in a bank and have many friends who currently work in various banks around Dublin, I'm not liking your odds.

How it breaks down is as follows:

Good Friday - Bank Holiday. Bank staff do not work this day, however other businesses will decide themselves whether they will stay open or close. If you work on this day you are not entitled to extra pay or a time off in lieu.

Easter Monday - Public holiday. Everyone, including bank staff, are entitled to the day off. Should you have to work you are entitled to extra pay and/or time off in lieu.

Christmas Day & St. Stephen's Day - Public holiday. Everyone, including bank staff, are entitled to the day off. Should you have to work you are entitled to extra pay and/or time off in lieu. If either or both fall on a weekend the next working day is taken in lieu.

Next working day after St. Stephen's Day (or day observed as the St. Stephen's Day public holiday if 26th is on a weekend) - Bank Holiday. Bank staff do not work this day, however other businesses will decide themselves whether they will stay open or close. If you work on this day you are not entitled to extra pay or a time off in lieu.

I trust that this clears things up.

I think the problem is you are still holding onto the term "bank holiday", which no longer exists in any official capacity .......... lots of people, particularly the older generation, do still use this slang-term but it's no more valid than a Tesco employee using the term "Tesco Holiday" to describe their day off.

Zaph

MadDog76 wrote: »

I think the problem is you are still holding onto the term "bank holiday", which no longer exists in any official capacity .......... lots of people, particularly the older generation, do still use this slang-term but it's no more valid than a Tesco employee using the term "Tesco Holiday" to describe their day off.

So what would you call a holiday where the only people who are actually entitled to the day off are bank staff?

Lavinia

I'd like if Good Friday is day off, if proposed I'd vote yes

The flying mouse

cheeses lads yis have mind boggled with all them days....

MadDog76

Zaph wrote: »

So what would you call a holiday where the only people who are actually entitled to the day off are bank staff?

"Post Office Holiday", obviously.

timthumbni

Alf Stewart. wrote: »

You guys over there have twelve weeks in July

No ya flaming galaaaahhhh. We get 2 days off over the 12th July week. I'm wondering now if the republic gets a couple of days another time. Or if we just get more holidays. Strewthhhhhh.

rubadub

Zaph wrote: »

So what would you call a holiday where the only people who are actually entitled to the day off are bank staff?

Is this true?

I thought bank holiday was just a slang term now. I believe in the past it was in law. But I thought now a bank could open on good friday if they wished.

You mention some system closing down, but I expect banks could still open if they wished, just like many pubs were open on good friday.

Balmed Out

I find the day annoying. Business's seem to arbitrarily work or not from estate agents to gyms.

cleanslate

Zaph is correct and he is talking about 27th December which is a Bank Holiday but not a Public Holiday. Who can we petition to make Good Friday a Public Holiday??

Coillte_Bhoy

RebekahD wrote: »

Its a confusing day ! The postman works, shops are open yet the doctor's which are important are closed !
Love to know who makes the rules on these things !

Not in our office.

gimli2112

It's not? I better call work.

dxhound2005

Good Friday is cited in dictionaries as being in the language from around 1300. Bank Holiday is from around 1875. Holiday itself is derived from Holy Day. So we will call Good Friday a Bank Holy Day.

I think we should all switch to a Teacher's Holidays model.

The majority of people have it off anyway, I've always had good Friday off and know very few people who don't have it off.

The Talking Bread

RebekahD wrote: »

Its a confusing day ! The postman works, shops are open yet the doctor's which are important are closed !
Love to know who makes the rules on these things !

The Backwards Man

Malcolm Powerful Turkey wrote: »

The majority of people have it off anyway, I've always had good Friday off and know very few people who don't have it off.

That's that then.

TheValeyard

cleanslate wrote: »

Zaph is correct and he is talking about 27th December which is a Bank Holiday but not a Public Holiday. Who can we petition to make Good Friday a Public Holiday??

Glad it took you only two years to reach that conclusion

For Forks Sake

So here's me in 'holy catholic Ireland' working away, while my godless Sassanach colleagues across the water get the day off.