Holiday entitlement at work - help!

I like most people am in employment and I am given 23 holiday days per annum by the company I work for (excluding all the bank holidays). The company I work for has a shutdown period, usually two weeks, over Christmas and New Year.

This year I HAVE to involuntarily use 8 of my entitled holiday days to cover this shutdown period meaning I only have 15 holiday days to use when I actually want to use them.

Surely if the company I work for has an annual shutdown they can't force me to use my entitled holiday days to cover this?

Surely my holiday days should run separately to a 'shutdown' period?

Please somebody tell me they're breaking the law

 

Sorry to disappoint, no laws being broken.

 

Damn. Ahh well.

 

Wish I had nearly 5 week paid holiday leave mate

 

Ponty72 is right, we do exactly the same

 

Don't think so mate.
You're entitled to 28 days leave, including bank holidays, but there's no rules saying you have the right to say when it is.

 

Just one question. If it is the first year you have had to do it what were the arrangements last year? Did you get 23 days + xmas shutdown + bank holidays? So in effect they have reduced your entitlement by the length of the shutdown?

 

https://www.gov.uk/holiday-entitlement-rights/entitlement

28 days minimum. If you have to use these for Xmas and bank hols its unfortunate for ya

Luckily I will get 24 days to choose, all the bank hols and 2 weeks off at Xmas

 

This is the first year I've been with the company. I'm a graduate so work life is still pretty new to me. I'm not complaining as such - I was just a tad surprised that a company can dictate when you use your holiday entitlement.

I thought you were given holiday days by the company which you could use whenever you want regardless of a shutdown.

 

That's how I thought it would be Doddy.

 

What does it say in your contract of employment ?

By the way welcome to the real world my friend !

 

It sounds like you are on the minimum 28 days (it is actually 5.6 weeks so you take the number of days you work a week and multiply by 5.6) but you can be told when to take them. You could have no xmas shutdown but to have time off at xmas you would then have to use some of your 28 days, so it would work out the same. Some places have no 'flexible' holiday, shutdown at xmas, easter and summer (or just xmas and summer) and that is your lot.

 

working for the ncb you got your 20 odd days holiday entitlement,of which 7 were 'rest' days to use as you wanted,the rest were annual set holidays.

if you ever finish up working for yourself you'll be in for a bigger shock....

 

Company is within it's rights mate.

Think of it from their point of view, they can't go giving another 2 weeks (for the shut down) on top of the 28 days you already have (assuming everyone would say they wanted them outside the shutdown period!)

It would probably send them bust and you would all be out of a job.

Look upon it as something necessary to keep the firm going and you won't feel so bad!

 

Try being self-employed mate when you find yourself working Sunday afternoon and still taking calls at 9 in the evening...

 

I suppose you all have a point. Ill pipe down. Being self employed is quite appealing actually as I like the idea of being my own boss. Two of the biggest shocks as a former student = Income Tax and finding out there are two 6:30's in a day! Good night, god bless.

 

I'll beat lil to it.. I've known the steelworks to have a fortnight at Xmas, a week at spring bank and two weeks during the summer

 

Why havent you? Unless you are self employed, you ,by law, have to have 28 days including Bank Holidays, so you have 20 days minimum for your self, so you have more than 5 weeks holiday every year.