Christmas classed as a day off?

[Greedyfly]

Hi there, I work for a very reputable music shop and this year they decided to show their christmas spirit and not let us have a day off. Instead we have to take christmas day as our day off - is this allowed?

I have worked here for over three years and I work Christmas eve, Boxing day, new years eve and new years day every year and I don't mind too much but I think this is taking the pi$$.  This means I would have a day off say wednesday the week before and have to wait 9 days until my 'day off' christmas day.  Is this legal??

[fly258]

Quit moaning, I would work in a music shop 24-7 for free, the only job I can think of which would be better would be quality control in a brothel.

 Seriously though, it does sound as though they are taking the p1$$. What does it say about holidays / time off in your contract?..........if you have one.

[Greedyfly]

You can have my job any day - it is by no means easy.  It looks it but it ain't.

[Hippy]

OK Here goes. If your place of work is normally open on Saturdays, and you are one of the people that habitually works or is rostered to sometimes work on Saturdays then for you the 25th December, 2004 would be a normal working day, were it not for the fact that it is Christmas Day. It seems that your employer is giving you the 25th December as a holiday, in other words a day when ordinarily you might expect to be at work, but because of Christmas you are not. The same principle applies to Sundays if you habitually work on that day or are rostered to work some Sundays.


The UK government has declared 27th and 28th December Public Holidays in lieu of Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Now it would be quite within your employer's rights to allow you these days as holidays as well as the 25th and/or 26th December, however, that would be allowing EXTRA holidays that are not called for in the Public Holiday arrangements. The government has not incresed our entitlement to Public Holidays by this arangement. Actually for some time now we have had no right to a holiday on a declared Public Holiday. So, for the Christmas period employers usually give two days holiday. For Monday to Friday only employees the government lieu days apply, (Saturday & Sunday are already days off so can't count as holidays) but for daily workers, or those expected to work Saturday or Sunday, employers can give the holiday(s) on the actual dates of Christmas Day and Boxing Day and so the lieu days don't apply.

[Chillum]

It's always been my understanding the "Public Holidays" are given on the goodwill of an employer and are not a statutory right. Christmas day included.

[ICEMANSAV]

Chillum is right. The employer has a right to class Christmas day as a holiday same as all bank holidays currently.