My boss says the eight bank holidays are included in our annual leave. So now if I work on a bank holiday I get paid double time, but my boss says I can’t have a day off in lieu as well: he says if I get double time and a day off too it’s like being paid treble money for one day. Is he right?
You are entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks’ holiday a year. So if you choose to use up some of your holiday entitlement by taking a day off after working on a bank holiday your employer cannot reasonably refuse, as long as you comply with procedures for taking holidays. Your employer isn’t of course obliged by law to offer you double time for working bank holidays, but this may be written into your contract or established by custom and practice.