Annual leave from work advice regarding laws

Does anybody happen to know what the deal is regarding booking holidays from work? We use an online system to book holidays and the manager gets instant alerts when they are requested, everybody else can see all requests too.

The problem is my 'manager' ignores all requests. He doesn't confirm or deny them he simply ignored them right up until the day before the holiday. So for an example one lad at work put in a request for next week way back in December and it has been sat on the system showing as pending for the last 2 or 3 months. The manager has known about it all the time because he has mentioned a few times that the pad is due to be off in march but still he ignored it officially. Now because we are busy he has told him at 5pm on Friday that he can't be off. I'm pretty sure that breaches the law but I could be wrong. Anyone know for certain?

Another problem is that the same 'manager' is in my opinion abusing his position of power. Another employee has already requested time off for October and I was standing next to the manager when the leave request came in. He saw the and said these exact words 'he's not getting that. I want to go on holiday in october'. Now the key thing is that the manager has not requested time off and has not applied for time off in the online planner as per the company policy. Is he allowed to turn down holiday requests because he wants them but hasn't got round to requesting them? Or should it be the case that if the employee requests an holiday and nobody else has requested one on the planner then he can't deny it?

Needless to say my manager is a horrible person

 

Are you in a union? If not join one.

 

I'd be surprised if he wasnt breaking a holiday law, but equally he's ******* inept. Can't you take it higher than him?

Go find a lawyer who gives 30 mins free advice, shouldn't take more than that to find out for sure.

 

The general notice period for taking leave is at least twice as long as the amount of leave a worker wants to take (eg 2 days’ notice for 1 day’s leave), unless the contract says something different.

An employer can refuse a leave request but they must give as much notice as the amount of leave requested, eg 2 weeks’ notice if the leave requested was 2 weeks.

https://www.gov.uk/holiday-entitlement-rights/booking-time-off-

If they ignore it and the time has passed, just don't turn up.

 

Sorry not got an answer, but If your workplace is not Unionised you you could try Thompson Solicitors website, they are recognised as being the Employment law specialistsyou can also sign up for their newsletter. Also suggest TUC or ACAS Websites

 

ACAS is your friend. I've used them as an employer and employee

http://m.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4303

I would start by putting a grievance letter in to his superior, they then have 7 days to respond

 

It isn't me who has been turned down holidays (he wouldn't dare) it is two others who he openly admits to disliking. I was just trying to find out from their benefit.

There is no union, it's a fairly small company so joining one would be a bit pointless. I mean yes it would give you access to advice and knowledge of law etc but on the whole it wouldn't help resolve matters, it's not really that kind of company.

As for the manager, he's an absolute pillock. He treats me ok because without wanting to blow my own trumpet he knows he would be well and truly ****** without me. But he treats some of the there like crap. The problem is that he is so far up the directors arses and a yes man that they look past his incompetence even though in private conversations with me they have casually mentioned how poorly he is performing as a manager.

He's also a bully. As I said he wouldn't dare try it with me because I'd rip him a new one, and have done so in the past, but he does it take two in particular and to a lesser extent to a third who has left in part because of him. As an example, when he was not a manager another employee reported him for constantly shouting at him and trying to bully him. The response of the director he complained to? He promoted him to manager hours the same day as the complaint.
Another example which I only discovered this week when he gleefully told me is that he has in his own words 'made Luke (not his real name) sob. Like openly sob. Not just get upset. SOBBING'. They were the exact words he used when telling me with a big smile on his face. He says that he told him to 'man up' and the employee who is about 40 years younger than him told him 'youre always picking on me'. The manager is good friends with another well known bully (not a manager) who has pushed the same young lad up against a wall and threatened him in front of said manager who didn't say a word to him. No action was taken.

In short he's a lovely person who abuses his power. I get the feeling he won't be in the job much longer anyway but I'd love to see his exit speeded up a little.

 

Get everyone at your level together and either;

a) devise a plan to cut his ******* legs off
b) all join a union and let it be known that you have all done so. If asked why, tell them it is to stand up to bullying and intimidation and given that the management won't address the situation you have to, collectively.

 

Option one is more likely and probably more effective too. The problem is they're all a bunch of cowards who darent stand up to anyone which is exactly why he bullys them. You might have noticed I can be a bit argumentative which is why he has never tried it with me. Well he has tried it once and only once. I'm pretty sure he won't ever try it again after being told exactly what I thought of him and had to listen to a 10 minute rant that listed every single one of his failings as a manager. And I took great delight in doing so in front of all of his staff too. He didn't have an answer or argument to any of the points too.

You're slower at the job than most of the employees. No answer.
You make more errors in a day than I do in a month. No answer.
You have completely failed to train any of your staff. No answer.
You do not care about safety and refuse to push the issue of maintenance. No answer.
You don't know how to use a computer. No answer.
You do a ton of overtime to cover up for your own inability. No answer.
You bully x and y but won't say boo to a goose when it comes to z who is absolutely **** at his job and we all know it (z was stood there too). No answer from either of them.
You won't make a decision and keep asking me what you should do. No answer.

The list just went on and on and ended with 'in fact you are the worst excuse for a manager I've ever met. You are 50 odd year of but I've got cousins who are 5 and 6 who have more maturity than you do. There's only one way to describe you and that is incompetent. In fact you aren't a manager are you, you just get managers wages. Well you wanted those ******* wages so grow up, grow a pair and learn to ******* manage or piss off and let's get somebody in who isn't a spineless bully'.

Now I just need to convince the others to stand up to him because the sooner he's gone the better. Ive just spoke to one of them and convinced him to put a complaint in to the MD regarding the holiday situation. I'll try the same with the other on monday

 

No matter how small the company you can join any union...whilst they might not carry the power they once did, the might of the union is always there should you ever need it, to give you backing and support, ie ...accidents -legality- Law- health and safety and much more..it just gives you some peace of mind should you ever need any help ...it can also save you a small fortune if you need a solicitor to fight your case against the employer...