Ucatt warns over Diamond Jubilee bank holiday

Construction union Ucatt is warning that thousands of construction workers could be denied an extra days paid holiday in order to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The problem has arisen due to the fact that although the Government has announced that there will be an additional bank holiday on Tuesday 5 June 2012 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, they did not increase the holiday entitlement under the working time directive. Only workers, whose contracts specify they receive all bank holidays as paid leave, automatically receive an extra day’s holiday. For all other workers agreement has to be reached to secure an extra days paid leave.

Steve Murphy, general secretary of Ucatt, said: “Morally construction employers must grant their workers an extra days paid leave to spend with their families. Companies who refuse to do so should be named and shamed.”

The 500,000 construction workers covered by the largest construction industry agreement the Construction industry Joint Council (CIJC), Working Rule Agreement will be entitled to an additional days holiday for the Diamond Jubilee celebration. Following an agreement between construction employers and unions led by the union.

Murphy, added: “Workers covered by the CIJC agreement are fully entitled to an extra days paid holiday for the Diamond Jubilee and we fully expect all companies who follow the agreement to honour this decision.”