London Evening Standard/London
Millions of Britons will have to work today for no extra money – whether or not they want to celebrate the royal wedding.More than a tenth of employers say they will not be giving their workers a paid day off, according to a poll by the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals.Bosses were accused of using a little-known rule to wriggle out of extra bank holiday payments. Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: ‘A significant minority of tight-fisted companies have decided to ignore the national mood. They are insisting on keeping staff chained to their desks while everyone else is enjoying the bank holiday.”He warned that this risks “demoralizing” their workforce and “damaging their reputation” among their customers.However, the wedding comes at a difficult time for many small businesses which are struggling to cope with the unprecedented string of bank holidays.It follows hard on the heels of the long Easter weekend, with many entrepreneurs saying they simply cannot afford to lose another day’s business.Employment law experts said workers are the victims of a “lottery” which depends entirely upon the wording in their contract.Some will enjoy an extra day’s holiday on full pay. Others will get a day off but not be paid. And the biggest losers will have to work, but not receive a penny more than normal.At present, every full-time worker is entitled to a minimum 28 days leave every year, but this can include bank holidays and public holidays.In a normal year there are eight in England, including New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, two May bank holidays, August bank holiday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.The confusion surrounds the fact that the royal wedding is an extra bank holiday, and many workers’ contracts dictate that they do not have to be given the time off.For example, a contract might state: “You are entitled to 28 days’ holiday, including all bank and public holidays.”In this case, the worker would be entitled to be off today. Equally the contract might say: “You are entitled to 28 days’ holiday, including eight bank and public holidays”. This would not confer the right to be off today because it is a ninth bank holiday.All 163 Debenhams stores will be open today, but staff will not receive extra pay. They will be given a day off at another time to compensate them.Tesco, the country’s biggest private-sector employer, said staff who work today will be given extra money of up to three times their normal salary.