holiday pay?

[kayeff]

Hi, i have been working with angard since chrismas and i have accrued 84.11 hours of holiday pay... I dont knw when me contract ends and was wondering whether i should claim it now or would i get it paid automatically?

Any help, much appreciated..

Regards
Kay

[Verging]

Your contract would have been for either 38 or 50 weeks. It would be beneficial for you if you found out from Angard when it is due to expire.

It would also have said you had to book your holidays before the end of your contract and they will not be paid automatically - I cant remember the exact wording but there is a copy of the contract on this forum. I have asked what happens if I work my last week of the contract and build up more holiday hours. I have a verbal reply to the effect that any holiday built up in the last week will automatically be paid. They are very careful not to put anything in writing which concerns me.

There are a number of rules you need to stick to when booking holiday. The ones I am aware of are:
Holidays have to booked in advance - there are hints of a little flexibility on this (e.g. you could probably still book for this week but do not take this as guaranteed)
You cannot work on days you book holidays for
The maximum number of hours per day you can book is 8 hours - I do not think there is a minimum
The maximum hours you can book per week is your average hours worked (I think for the last 12 weeks).

I have a 50 week contract and it started last year on 14th November so expires around 1st November this year. I also have a similar number of hours holiday. I am going to now be taking 1 or 2 days a week holiday until my last week. I have booked: the Bank Holiday (I know I will not be called in then); chosen days I know I cant work as I am doing other things and then days where I have been called in least recently. You could always book more days providing you do not exceed the maximum allowed per week but remember any days you book as holiday you cannot work.

If you are on a 38 week contract you probably need to books as much as you can now for the remainder of the contract. Also, you may need permission from Angard to 'backdate' your holiday in order to get all that you have accrued. I would argue here you never got told when contract will end, you cant remember how long it was for as they never sent it you back and various other stories.

Chances are they will not be aware of when it expires - they cant tell me when mine is due to expire - it is not on my file on the computer. I also suspect someone will have to look at the mountain of paperwork they must have and find my contract(s) in order to tell me when it ends. Add to that the fact I have about 3 different contracts with varying start dates and contract durations - there is an awful lot of confusion as to when mine ends. I am working to the last contract I received which is 50 weeks finishing around 1st November.

[Lounge Lizard]

And if you get the Delivery Supplement you'll get that when on holiday too.
Much better than the Door To Door payments that you lost out on when on holiday or off sick.

[kayeff]

I just checked my contract and its for 50 weeks as a flexible resource worker.. The date on the contract is stated as 1st of September, however i started work on 5th of December. So from which date does that mean my contract starts from? :/
Im so confused i dont know what to do - as i dont want to lose all the hours i have built up..

Ive had and still am having so many payment issues with angard. They either get my hours wrong or my pay rate - like nearly every week...

[Verging]

You need to check with Angard because if it is for 50 weeks from 1st September last year you are already beyond the 50 weeks.

Are they still calling you in?
Have you received your P45?
Any indication of contract renewal offer?

[ennabee]

Verging...

So, if it looks like you may not get any work in the following week it's an idea to book a days holiday in that week......


and I presume you can still take work if offered at a later stage, except for the day booked as holiday?


This seems a good way to make sure you don't lose your AWR status if it's quiet for a while as holiday doesn't count as a weeks "work" but it doesn't count as a "blank" week either

[Verging]

Verging...

So, if it looks like you may not get any work in the following week it's an idea to book a days holiday in that week......


and I presume you can still take work if offered at a later stage, except for the day booked as holiday?


This seems a good way to make sure you don't lose your AWR status if it's quiet for a while as holiday doesn't count as a weeks "work" but it doesn't count as a "blank" week either

As far as i know that is all correct. Dependent upon hours accrued and number of weeks to end of contract will determine how many hours you need to take per week. Also, dont forget each time you go in you build up more holiday hours. I am also waiting until middle of the week before sending the holiday form off and booking days I havent worked that week rather than 'future' days e.g. if I dont work Saturday and Monday I will send my form off Tuesday with Saturday and Monday booked as holidays (up to 8 hours per day). I think at the moment I have about 8 or 9 weeks until my contract end and reckon I need to take 1.25 days holiday per week until then.

[markadam1962]

So you work the hours and accrue holiday for which you are entitled to be paid for. BUT because of the farce of AWC, ANGARD, Royal Mail. You have to give up hours that you should be paid money for...IN THE HOPE YOU GET WORK IN FUTURE WEEKS?????? Madness, cash it in now at the rate shown. Someone really needs to sort this AWC out. It can't be right that your rate goes down because your not working but your still "on the books".

[ennabee]

I don't intend to give up any work to get holiday pay but may book a days holiday -and pay - if I am not offered work for a week. Has a bonus that it stops me building up to six weeks without work

If Im offered work after booking a day holidays for that week I can still decide whether to take the work or not (if it's on a day other than the "holiday" day)

Thanks for your input Verging

It seems you can book a days holiday late ie. book a Friday on a Mon/Tues the same week

[markadam1962]

OK maybe if you are a regular Casual i.e working at least 3 shifts a week your already building up a fair amount of leave. Look at your payslip "hours accrued" and the rate. THAT'S HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE IN YOUR "POT" that's all yours....claim it. Otherwise your giving your money to Angard. Your a casual ZERO hours contract you might not work ever again but you have just taken 20 hours leave for what? You won't be spending that money will you?

I still can't grasp how you can expect "leave" if your a casual. Your called into work (or your not) taking a "day off" when you would have had one anyway and basically paying Angard for it it's bonkers!

Do any of us think we will have a six week break? and has this been tested as I doubt if you have had long service dropping back £££ on your hourly rate would be a great test case for A tribunal ? Who knows but I just claimed 30 hours, had a great holiday with MY MONEY...and I'm still working.

CLAIM WHAT YOUR OWED!

[ennabee]

I think there's a fair chance of having six weeks without work, maybe not at your depot.

i had 2 blank weeks recently and in some other weeks have got one shift,

I've just been told "no casuals requested for next week yet"

[Verging]

If your place is where I think it is that is normal for the summer weeks and the way they usually operate (deciding on they day how many or who they need - being booked in advance is a rarity).

[ennabee]

Yes Verging
I've had block booking for the Bank holiday weeks, other times 2/3/4 days a week, given either on the days or a day or so in advance, but I've recently had my first "blanks" (twice) since April. I've been told (on site not by Angard) thats it gets busier again in mid Sept.



Thats why taking one days holiday per week is a good idea IMO, as it's quite easy to judge when you won't get any work, so I'd be unlikely to deprive myself of a work opportunuty. If I were getting work every day it wouldn't make sense to do it this way though.

[Verging]

OK maybe if you are a regular Casual i.e working at least 3 shifts a week your already building up a fair amount of leave. Look at your payslip "hours accrued" and the rate. THAT'S HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE IN YOUR "POT" that's all yours....claim it. Otherwise your giving your money to Angard. Your a casual ZERO hours contract you might not work ever again but you have just taken 20 hours leave for what? You won't be spending that money will you?

I still can't grasp how you can expect "leave" if your a casual. Your called into work (or your not) taking a "day off" when you would have had one anyway and basically paying Angard for it it's bonkers!

Do any of us think we will have a six week break? and has this been tested as I doubt if you have had long service dropping back £££ on your hourly rate would be a great test case for A tribunal ? Who knows but I just claimed 30 hours, had a great holiday with MY MONEY...and I'm still working.

CLAIM WHAT YOUR OWED!

I am aware of someone who had a 6 week break and he was put back to minimum wage. He had agreed prior to his break that if he booked some holiday that would pause the 6 week countdown but he was put back "automatically" by payroll. Took a considerable amount of "discussions" to get reinstated back to AWR qualification - even though prior to his break it was agreed holidays pause the 6 week countdown.

Personally, I do not see anywhere within the AWR regulations that says once qualified you can become unqualified and believe RM/Angard are using the 6 week break on counting AWR qualification as a break once qualified a little outside the spirit and meaning of AWR. A grey area which I am sure will get tested at some point.

[rogersh]

OK maybe if you are a regular Casual i.e working at least 3 shifts a week your already building up a fair amount of leave. Look at your payslip "hours accrued" and the rate. THAT'S HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE IN YOUR "POT" that's all yours....claim it. Otherwise your giving your money to Angard. Your a casual ZERO hours contract you might not work ever again but you have just taken 20 hours leave for what? You won't be spending that money will you?

I still can't grasp how you can expect "leave" if your a casual. Your called into work (or your not) taking a "day off" when you would have had one anyway and basically paying Angard for it it's bonkers!

Do any of us think we will have a six week break? and has this been tested as I doubt if you have had long service dropping back £££ on your hourly rate would be a great test case for A tribunal ? Who knows but I just claimed 30 hours, had a great holiday with MY MONEY...and I'm still working.

CLAIM WHAT YOUR OWED!

I am aware of someone who had a 6 week break and he was put back to minimum wage. He had agreed prior to his break that if he booked some holiday that would pause the 6 week countdown but he was put back "automatically" by payroll. Took a considerable amount of "discussions" to get reinstated back to AWR qualification - even though prior to his break it was agreed holidays pause the 6 week countdown.

Personally, I do not see anywhere within the AWR regulations that says once qualified you can become unqualified and believe RM/Angard are using the 6 week break on counting AWR qualification as a break once qualified a little outside the spirit and meaning of AWR. A grey area which I am sure will get tested at some point.

I agree with the view that you cannot become unqualified after acheiving awr status . I have assurance from two sources, one being ACAS that the 6 week rule applies ONLY when attaining the 12 week qualification .

QUOTE 2nd source;

The rights of an agency worker cannot be revoked without the prior consent of the worker
The 6 week break is only applicable for probationary purposes and cannot be used to avoid a workers rights in light of AWR.
Seems clear. The example could be if you qualified for awr with a company, left & returned to same company 8 weeks later,with same or different agency, your status would remain.