The Fixed/Pubic Holidays for 2021 have now been agreed and apply to all employees covered by Chief Officer and Local Government Employees (including Craft) terms and conditions.
The six fixed holidays for 2021 are:
- Friday 1 January 2021 New Year’s Day
- Monday 4 January 2021 for 2 January
- Friday 2 April 2021 Good Friday
- Monday 5 April 2021 Easter Monday
- Monday 27 December 2021 for Christmas Day
- Tuesday 28 December 2021 for Boxing Day
Arrangements in Educational Establishments
Consistent with previous years, due to the working arrangements in educational establishments there will be a requirement for non-teaching employees to commit some of their flexible leave entitlement to cover days when the establishment is closed, as follows:
- Monday 3 May 2021 May Day
- Friday 28 May 2021 May Weekend
- Monday 31 May 2021 May Weekend
- Friday 24 September 2021 September Weekend
- Monday 27 September 2021 September Weekend
In line with the school calendar 19 July 2021 will be a school closure day.
Employees who work on a 52 week/year contract from educational establishments who wish to work on any one of the above days, must provide at least 3 weeks’ notice in writing to their line manager who in turn, will advise them of the alternative work location for that day and the duties they will be required to perform.
Day of No Work Requirement
It has been previously been agreed with trades unions that:
- employees who are not involved in emergency/essential services be instructed to commit 2 days as annual leave for the 2 working days immediately following the Christmas public holidays each year
- the working day immediately prior to the New Year public holidays be granted as a paid day of no work requirement each year
Therefore for those employees not involved in emergency or essential service delivery during the 2021/22 Christmas/New Year period, the following arrangements apply:
- Wednesday 29 December 2021 Annual Leave must be allocated
- Thursday 30 December 2021 Annual Leave must be allocated
- Friday 31 December 2021 Paid “Day of No Work” Requirement
For employees required to work on 29 December and 30 December these are normal working days and there is not a requirement to commit annual leave for these dates.
For employees required to work on the “Day of No Work” 31 December 2021, an alternative day off in lieu will be granted to be taken no later than 31 March 2022.
For employees in services that are operational on the “Day of No Work” requirement but who, due to shift patterns etc, are not due to work on that specific day, compensatory time off in lieu equivalent to the number of hours which normally would have been worked will be granted to be taken no later than 31 March 2022.
Where a job share arrangement is in place each job share partner will work their normal rota and annual leave shall be taken from their flexible leave entitlement as defined by their working pattern and the “day of no work” will be enjoyed by the partner scheduled to work on that day. This may have a disproportionate effect in one year but over a cycle of years, will balance out.
Where a full-time employee works 35 hours per week but over a condensed working week they are entitled to receive the “day of no work” as defined by their work pattern. Equally they should allocate annual leave as defined by their working pattern.
This means that if an employee in this situation is due to be at work on the 2 days to be allocated as annual leave, they are required to allocate 2 days’ leave. In this situation, employees will receive the day of no work requirement as a day off, if it is a working day based on their individual work pattern. Where there is no work requirement based on the individual’s work pattern, the employee will not receive any compensatory day in lieu at a later date. Over a cycle of a number of years based on the employee’s condensed working pattern, this will balance out when calculated on an hourly basis.
For employees in a service where there is a 365 day-a-year service delivery need, there is no opportunity for a Christmas or New Year closure, and as such, it is not possible to allow a closure of the service because by its very nature, the service is provided to vulnerable groups every day of the year.
Employees in this situation will not be given “en masse” the opportunity to submit 2 days leave to receive the day in compensation. To ensure equality of treatment and that employees in this situation are not disproportionately affected, they will receive a day in lieu of the day of no work requirement to be taken at a later date but no later than the end of March 2022.
Thank you
Ann Davie
Depute Chief Executive – Education, People & Business
Friday 11 September 2020