Minimum Holiday Entitlement.

[Jenarry]

Can anyone tell me what the minumum holdiay entitlement my employers should be giving to us. We used to get 26 days then our employers changed and along with the change came a huge new contract with changes (although they were supposed to keep our contracts the same.
With regards the holiday entitlement it was reduced from 26 days to 21 days in our contract but the change was overlooked and this new reduced entitlement was only started a year or 2 ago much to our surprise and dismay.
Apparently it was said that this is the legal minimum they have to give us.
As there are a few of us who have been there for many years it was a kick in the teeth to go down to the basic entitlement like this and has been the cause of ongoing resentment.
I've just had a quick look online and it seems that this reduced entitlement is not even right . It seems we should be getting the minimum of 28 days which is even more than before. can anyone confirm this before I tackle my employers with it.
It would not surprise me that they have it wrong with us on the losing side as it seems to be how they operate with giving the staff the very least they can get away with even somehow wangling it to have people on less than minimum wage. :O(

[knowabit]

I think, although I may be wrong, that the minimum of 28 days includes the 8 Bank/Public holidays that we have each year, and then its 20 days holidays for you off your normal working days.

[Eve]

I think the 28 days includes bank holidays, does it refer to them in your contract? A minimum often includes the days in addition to bank holidays or a total amount including them.

Did you TUPE over to the new business owners and was there any consultation? Was any union involved?

[Jenarry]

the contract is very long winded it states we are entitled to 21 days paid annual holiday . Paragraph about how the holiday year runs from april,how it has to authorised by a manager,etc. Then in bold letters it lists what bank holidays are recognised by the employers listing a total of 8 days but it doesn't actually state if this is included in this entitlement or are paid days off on top of this entitlement. :O( I know that if a bank holiday falls on our usual day off at work ie on a tuesday we do not get a day off in lieu. we lose out on an extra day off.

[woofgang]

This might help
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/work_e/work_time_off_work_e/bank_and_public_holidays.htm

[Jenarry]

and yes a couple of people did get a union involved at this change over stage but I can't see that they helped very much and just seemed to be very concerned about getting more of the staff to join.

[Jenarry]

so it seems we must get 21 days plus the bank holidays stated. It seems to me that if that is the case and a bank holiday falls on your day off then you should get a day off in lieu otherwise you are losing some of your holiday entitlement. Is this right?...

[tonywiltshire]

Your current Statutory leave entitlement is 28 days per year if you work 5 days per week, below that it is pro-rata and above that it remains at 28 days, your employers can give you more than the statutory minimum but not, of course, less, public holidays can be included within this 28 days but this is unusual, check your Contract of employment, your maximum number of hours worked per week should not exceed 48 unless you have opted out. Your minimum wage is £6.19 per hour provided you are over 21 years of age. Mention to your employers The working time regulations 1998 as amended and Employment rights act 1996, you may also like to mention Barber V RJB Mining 1999.