Up to 500,000 construction workers are employed under the terms of the Construction Industry Joint Council, Working Rule Agreement (WRA). In February construction employers and unions led by Ucatt agreed that the WRA would honour the royal wedding bank holiday on 29 April and workers would be entitled to a paid day off on that date.
However, Ucatt claims that some employers are trying to avoid paying workers an extra day’s paid holiday. In particular, some employers are intending to introduce a shutdown in the week beginning Easter Monday (25 April) in the belief that they can avoid paying workers for an additional day’s holiday.
Ucatt says that this is not the case and the agreement makes it clear that in such circumstances, workers will be entitled to an additional day’s paid holiday on an alternative date.
Acting general secretary George Guy said: “It is very disappointing that employers are still trying to wheedle their way out of paying for one additional days bank holiday. Dedicated construction workers have been through very difficult times in recent years as a result of the recession. The very least they deserve is for employers to honour this holiday.”
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Ucatt understands that the issue is most acute in Scotland where construction employers are reluctant to honour the agreement regarding the additional day’s leave.
Ucatt Scotland regional secretary Harry Frew said: “Companies need to honour the decision to make the royal wedding a paid bank holiday. If employers try to prevent Ucatt members receiving this extra day, we will take all means necessary to secure them their full leave.”
Despite the government announcing that the royal wedding would be an additional bank holiday, it did not increase the holiday entitlement under the working time directive accordingly. Therefore only workers whose contracts specify they receive all bank holidays as paid leave will automatically receive an extra day’s holiday. For all other workers agreement has had to be reached to secure an additional day’s paid leave.
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