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It’s two days before the end of Lent, and supposedly the day Jesus died for our sins: Good Friday is traditionally a day for fish, family and for some: a day off work. But there’s always a bit of confusion around the bank holiday, who gets the day off and if you’re entitled to extra pay.
When is Easter?
Easter varies a lot each year. Easter should be the Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after March 21st, so the earliest possible date for Easter Sunday in any year is March 22nd, and the latest is April 25th. This year, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday falls on April 7th, 9th and 10th.
Bank holiday or public holiday?
There’s always some jealousies around the dinner table on Easter weekend, with some people getting more time off than others. To understand things, we first need to look at the difference between a bank holiday and a public holiday. First of all, you do not get a day off on a bank holiday – the banks do. We seem to have conflated the two occasions as one and the same, but the only workers entitled to a day off on a bank holiday are the bankers themselves. Lucky sods.
A public holiday is different. It refers to a day when full-time workers (and part-time workers who’ve racked up 40 hours in the previous five weeks) have a statutory entitlement to one of the following: a paid day off, a day in lieu, an additional day of pay or a paid day off within one month of the holiday. Oftentimes, public holidays and bank holidays land on the same day, but not on Good Friday and Christmas Eve, which are not covered by the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, which outlines the set public holidays.
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Who gets the day off on Good Friday?
The banks are closed on Good Friday, so workers there will be free to enjoy pubs and fish at their hearts desires. Public sector workers also get the day off (you might think this is unfair, but don’t get me started on the “privilege day” they used to get off on the Tuesday after Easter). It’s also not uncommon for private sector employees to get the day off, and some businesses build the day into their contracts, but as a general rule private sector non-bankers are not entitled to it. And for the schools, they’re closed anyway for the Easter break.
Then there’s the UK. We may have two more public holidays than the UK’s eight, but most people across the Irish Sea and north of the Border have Good Friday off.
What if I work on Good Friday?
If you were hoping for some double pay to kick-start the Easter weekend, it’s bad news. Employees are not entitled to any additional pay for working on Good Friday, unless specified in their contract. If you’d like the day off, you’ll have to eat into your annual leave.
What about Easter Monday?
Next Monday, known as Easter Monday, is a bank holiday and a public holiday, meaning bankers, public and private sector workers will have the day off. Think of it as a bank holiday you’re traditionally used to.
So next time you’re booking an Easter getaway ahead of time, don’t assume you’ll have a four-day weekend. Unless you’re a banker, civil servant or working for a generous employer. Happy Easter!