When I used to work in the record shop we got bank holidays off (sometimes the shop was open though, in which case it was treated as a Sunday and we got paid overtime). But the 5 bank holidays a year were counted towards our holiday allowance, i.e. they were effectively compulsory holidays, and since our holiday allowance was only 20 days anyway, we basically only had 15 days of flexible holiday. (I think it was, or certainly is now, actually illegal to include bank holidays in the holiday allowance, although PW may be right in saying that there's no legal obligation for an employer to observe bank holidays at all, which I suppose is how my bosses would have got around the situation.)

In my more recent job we got 20 days' holiday a year plus Bank Holidays, and I was quite annoyed to realise that I won't be being paid to be off work this coming long weekend - which is a bit odd of me since I've only been paid when I've actually done some work in the last 2-3 weeks! I think these unpaid Bank Holidays are the one thing I really wouldn't like about being self-employed ...

I believe there are some changes in the holiday regulations coming into force at the beginning of October 2008 - I don't remember exactly, maybe the minimum holiday allowance is being increased from 20 to 28 days per year? Is that it?

Ah.  It seems I tossed out my P45 in January without much noticing it (I tend not to pay much attention to anything that looks like a payslip).  The lady I called up about it today said she had received about six different calls from different people about it as well.  Naturally, none of this information found its way back to me, who was patiently waiting for its arrival.

So now I await a call back from here with my number, which I will have to give to revenue.

And: I think I'm in with a temp agency.  Which is great.  Secretarial work as well (this is good for me).  I'll need to get some more black pants, and black shirts though.

Despite the fact I'm a Civil Servant, I will have to work tomorrow afternoon as the buidlign is still open to the public, but we can then take that privilege dat any time up to the end of the eyar (and strictly speaking it's additional to our leave entitlement).  Friday I'm off though.

This whole bank holiday thing is very weird to me as a Yankee.  We'd never get Good Friday (or related days) off as a federal holiday -- government establishment of religion, First Amendment, dontcha know.

We do however get a mess of random holidays of no particular significance (Presidents' Day, for example) where some things (in my case, universities) are generally closed, as are some smaller shops etc.  Are there any equivalents in Britain to that sort of thing?

Oh, and, uh, grumpy rant... um... I'm thirsty.

Well, no, of course not, you don't mess with Christmas.  But (unless I'm forgetting something obvious) Christmas is the only officially established religious holiday in the US.  The rest are all patriotic and/or war-related (Veterans' Day, not to be confused with Memorial Day).

Help you, I can. Find your friend. Yes. Helpful, that would be.

 

Although we get Friday off as a holiday, I may have to go in as I'm stupidly busy at work.   

I was caught out in Strasbourg once!  I blame it on the pate