Worker rights | Can staff be forced to work the Bank Holiday?

With the Bank Holiday Weekend in sight, employees all over the country will be counting down the hours until they can down tools until next Tuesday. And with a heatwave predicted to grace the weekend, for many it will be a time spent having BBQs, milling around in beer gardens and recharging the batteries.

However, some employees will unfortunately be working, like those selling you coals for your BBQ or pouring your Bank Holiday pint. So, can employees scheduled to work be forced to actually come in? We spoke to the experts to find out.

With there being eight recognised public holidays in the UK peppered around year, Claire Flavin, from the Employment Law team at Aaron & Partners LLP, explained that “there is a common misconception amongst many employees that they are entitled to time off work on these public holidays."

Setting the record straight