Forum Topic

Good Friday Bank holiday?

Can anyone tell me is Good Friday still a bank holiday? Do people still have to work if the company/shop they work for opens? Do they have to be paid extra? I know last good friday all the shops were open, including marks and spencer and others that normally close on bank holidays. They were all shut on the easter Monday, ealing bway was almost all shut on easter Monday last year.

Marie Shelny ● 4763d21 Comments

There weren't enough able bodied men in San Marino.

Gerry Tan ● 4760d

I kind of assumed that every able bodied man between the ages of 18 and 40 had to be drafted into the San Marino football team.

Susan Kelly ● 4760d

It's in San Marino! :-)Totally surrounded by north-east Italy.

Nigel Brooks ● 4760d

Which country is San Marino in?

Gerry Tan ● 4760d

True, I only looked up San Marino while watching the 'procession of goals' last night.Compare our overpaid lot with the San Marino captain who manages a shop providing agricultural lighting. They only have two professional footballers. The rest of the team are, variously, accountants, electricians, bar owners and students.

Nigel Brooks ● 4760d

But not much of a football team.

Susan Kelly ● 4760d

Among the highest GDP in Europe is enjoyed by San Marino who have 20 public and festival holidays each year.

Nigel Brooks ● 4760d

Re  don't look back on them as the 'good old days'          xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx but were you happy, Nigel. As you say, some things were dificult ( maybe only because of comparison with certain aspects of today's living ) but I must confess I would probably like to swap those times with the now. As a country we knew who we were , where we stood in the world, can we say that now?. Progression has been made in social aspects but many others have deteriorated, I M O. Regard / respect for " authority " being one.

Tony Price ● 4761d

If Germany is reputedly better at producing a greater GDP per person, and yet they have more holidays, and unless things have changed significantly most shops also close on Saturday afternoons,then I don't think we can complain if we have more holidays.Perhaps we need a better method of working.Do we really and honestly need so many meetings when we would be better employed actually producing? Can't the Directors direct better so we know what we have to do without a meeting a minute?And how much time do people spend surfing the internet at work, I wonder?

George Knox ● 4761d

My parents were self-employed when I was a child, running a village shop. I don't think they ever took a holiday.

Susan Kelly ● 4761d

I don't think you can count national service as a job, Gerry.BTW, are you glad you did it, with hindsight? My father, being Irish, didn't do it and I often think, now that he's on his own, that doing it might have made him more independent, or at least a bit less helpless with a mop and bucket.

Susan Kelly ● 4761d

Being self employed is undoubtably harder than being employed with no sick pay, no holiday pay, no benefits or income if business is slow or non existant. It is very common for self employed to take only one or two weeks a year especially those with rent to pay on their premises. I have to say I dont believe in adding any extra public holidays I was annoyed when we had one for the royal wedding it might be allright for big buisneses and public sector to take these days off but often in small buisneses you will see the propietor working on public holidays just to make enough money to pay the staff to have the day off.

Marie Shelny ● 4761d

It is easier definitely.I only go back 50 years but I do remember my mother only getting two weeks holiday, my father just the one as he was self-employed and rarely took any time off.Couple that with no automatic washing machine, no dishwasher, a small fridge (no freezer so shopping every other day at best), no subsidised childcare, no pension credits, no disabled living allowance (my mother was disabled) and things were tougher. I honestly don't look back on them as the 'good old days'.

Nigel Brooks ● 4761d

9 'til 5 Susan?  You're joking!When I started work Clement Attlee was PM, Harry S Truman was US President and Stalin was still President of Russia. I was doing Nat Service in the RAF and working hours were 24/7 - the Cold War was on.  I earned £6.17/6d all found! Now, people have never had it so good!PS:  I'm not complaining Susan - merely pointing out that life is relatively easy now.

Gerry Tan ● 4761d

I'm guessing you worked 9-5, Gerry, even if you had to turn out on Saturday mornings too. Now people are expected to be at the office from 7am till 8pm, so they need the holidays to survive.

Susan Kelly ● 4761d

You wouldn't enjoy living in Germany then Gerry. Six weeks annual leave a year plus 12-13 public holidays (the actual number varies, depending which part of the country you live in). Though it has to be said if any of the public holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday then there is no compensatory day off on a Monday). It was tough coming back to the UK and suddenly only having 4 weeks annual leave and far fewer public holidays.

Sue Rowe ● 4762d

I feel there are too many bank holidays now. And too much annual leave.  When I started work, I was lucky to get two weeks holiday per year, we all worked on Saturday mornings and "duvet days" were unheard of.  It was nice to feel that Sundays was a "different" day somehow - now every days seems the same. Bah, make everyone work harder!

Gerry Tan ● 4763d

There are only Bank Holidays if you work in a Bank, otherwise there are Public Holidays.  There are usually about 8 per year, of which, Good Friday is one.  Most contracts of employment will allow for these 8 days either included in, or in addition to annual leave.  Those that work on Good Friday will retain that day as holiday for another time.Many years ago in West Ealing, there were only 2 shops open on Good Friday; Parkers for Hot Cross Buns and Rowes for fresh fish.  Now of course every shop is open and Good Friday is just like any other day of the year on the high street.

Brian Davis ● 4763d

By the way I forgot to mention, I just worked saturdays and there was nothing in my contract about having to work extra days but as a lot of permanent full time staff had booked good friday off, they said I had to come in. I thought that was very unfair so that was why I refused and hence I got the sack.

Asha Smith ● 4763d

I remember a long time ago when I was at university and I had a saturday job working at WH Smiths in High Street Kensington. I was told I had to work on Good Friday. I made some excuse saying I wasn't able to and I got the sack straight away. I came home and I told my dad and my dad tried to talk to the manager but I never got my job back. I am sure now, that sort of sacking would not have been allowed.

Asha Smith ● 4763d

Yes it is and the banks will be closed. As to whether people get paid extra, I think it depends what it says in their contracts or what their union has agreed with the boss. I don't think there's any law that says people have to get double time or whatever, but I'd be very glad to be put right on that.

Susan Kelly ● 4763d